Smoke and mirrors: the city hall counted 73 cars, while the residents of Kirov see sand on the streets.

      On April 2, the press service of the Kirov administration issued a statement on the progress of the city's cleanup. According to the release, contractors "are daily increasing the number of washing and watering machines," with 73 units of special equipment deployed today. Over the past 24 hours, the city hall clarified, 56 cubic meters of garbage and 71 tons of street sweepings have been removed.

      It is worth noting that the evening before, Newsler.ru had already reported on the mass complaints from Kirov residents regarding air quality. As our portal reported, residents noted a dusty haze visible even during the day, and with the onset of darkness, a thick suspension in the light of headlights and streetlights. People are complaining of a scratchy throat, unpleasant odors, and the crunch of sand on their teeth, while those with sensitive respiratory systems are experiencing exacerbated symptoms. The main thing that Kirov residents see around them is piles of sand and dust in the places where snowdrifts have recently melted.

      The administration acknowledges the problem but explains it differently. The release states that washing and watering machines are only used during the day, while at night, cleaning is carried out without prior wetting of the road surfaces. In this regard, the press service notes, dust may be generated due to the operation of vacuum trucks and manual labor crews. The road workers have been tasked with minimizing the dust raised into the air.

      However, residents, according to our previous material, associate the situation with the consequences of winter maintenance: the sand and reagents used to treat the roads all winter dried up after the snow melted and are now being lifted into the air. And the 73 machines working during the day will not instantly remove this accumulated mass — the sand remains on the streets, and Kirov residents see this every day.

      It is noteworthy that the official statement from the city hall does not contain a direct response to the complaints of Kirov residents. The phrase "dust may be generated" sounds much softer than the description of the situation by the residents themselves, who say they are "suffocating."