LOCAL

Few could have failed to notice the torrential downpours which hit Moscow on Sunday – except, perhaps the city authorities.

As thunderstorms shook the capital, they continued to send trucks out onto the streets to water them down.

But officials are unrepentant, saying that only regular watering will keep air and asphalt cool in the sweltering summer.

Soviet legacy

As temperatures tipped over 30C on Saturday, the water trucks were out in force to keep the streets from boiling over.

That’s nothing unusual in many parts of the world, but Moscow is perhaps unique in continuing to water the streets during rainfall.

“The streets are watered in many countries in the world, and it helps freshen up the hot air, whether the water is drinkable or not,” Sergei Yakovlev, a member of the guild of ecologists, told Moskovskiye Novosti. “But, possibly, it’s only in our country that the watering machines work during the rain too. It is the legacy of Soviet planned economy.”

Thousands of tons of water used daily

“Now we face abnormal heat, so the cars make six trips a day. In a normal day there are night and day washes, twice a day,” said Andrei Khoshtariya, general director of MKAD’s services. “When the air temperature is higher than 25 degrees, we create a microclimate by watering the asphalt, which cools it down and lowers the pressure.”

Ten tons of water is used in an hour of driving on MKAD, and after that the cars have to return to the base for a refill.

The water the machines spray is not drinkable and has no washing ingredients. It cannot be used in the house. More than 53,000 tons of water is used in every wash, and more than 300,000 in a day.

City centre is the most difficult

 “Muscovites are harsh people, they never give way,” Alexander, a driver of one of the watering cars told MN.

Alexander still prefers working on MKAD, than in central Moscow. “I used to work on the Boulevard Ring. There are two lanes, but one is always taken by parked cars. Sometimes I would get stuck between two cars, and sit there all day and wait.”

“It is better to drive at night. You drive, rest, there are no cars,” Alexander said.