Residents of Urkarakh called the compensation for destroyed houses insufficient.

The restoration of residential houses after devastating landslides in the villages of the Dakhadayevsky district has fallen on the shoulders of the villagers themselves. The compensation amounts received by only some of the victims do not cover the actual costs, but mainly local residents rely on a strong tradition of mutual assistance.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", a state of emergency of a municipal nature has been in effect in the Dakhadayevsky district of Dagestan since April due to landslides. The villages of Urkarakh, Kubachi, and Kalkni were the most affected. In the village of Urkarakh, the main water supply and more than 60 residential houses were damaged, leaving most of the village without water, local residents told on April 20.

The April natural disasters, caused by heavy rains, dealt a serious blow to the infrastructure and housing stock of the Dakhadayevsky district of Dagestan. Landslides led to large-scale destruction in several settlements, creating a threat to the livelihoods of hundreds of people. According to official information, the most devastating blow was dealt to the district center - the village of Urkarakh, where 62 houses were affected, some of which were completely destroyed by the landslide.

In addition to the housing stock, the infrastructure was severely damaged: republican roads were damaged, causing disruptions in transportation. Furthermore, the landslide rendered the kindergarten building in Urkarakh inoperable.

All roads and the central water supply were promptly restored within a month after the natural disaster, the administration of the Dakhadayevsky district told "Caucasian Knot". "There are currently no problems with roads and water. All main forces were directed to restore roads and repair the water supply, and everything was restored within about a month. Now the main task is to restore the damaged houses," said a representative of the administration.

However, residents of the district still have many questions and difficulties. The main problem is the lack of financial resources. In practice, the process of restoring housing requires much more resources than provided for in standard compensations, the heads of affected families told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

This money is catastrophically insufficient for the real restoration of the house.

Ruslan Kubaev, whose house was severely damaged by the landslide, has a large family of five. "The commission from the administration came to us quickly, the damage was recorded. We received the compensation due for partial loss of essential property - it amounted to 78,735 rubles per person, or about 393,000 rubles in total. But this money is catastrophically insufficient for the real restoration of the house. Prices for building materials have skyrocketed, and the work is expensive. We were quoted more than 600,000 rubles just for buying boards, cement, and replacing a cracked wall. It turns out we had to pay more than 200,000 rubles out of our own pocket," he said.

According to Ruslan, during the work, they have to save on everything. "As for the overall situation in the village since April 20, it has moved from a standstill: there is no panic, the roads have been cleared, and water and electricity have been restored. But we are still very far from normal life," he noted.

The family of Timur Tuzarov, consisting of seven members, is now without a roof over their heads. The Tuzarovs are currently forced to live in someone else's home. "The one-time payments of 15,675 rubles per person were transferred to us quickly. Now we are in line waiting for the main compensation for the total loss of property - it should be 156,750 rubles for each. We hope to receive this money to start rebuilding," he said.

In his difficult moment, a classmate came to his aid, offering to live in his house. "A huge thank you to my classmate. He has been living in Moscow for many years, and his house here was partially damaged. He immediately called and said, 'Live as long as you need.' This saved us because we didn't want to go to the placement point in the gymnasium. We will live here until we build a new house," he noted.

Not all residents of Urkarakh are willing to wait for help from the state - many prefer to restore their lives independently, relying on the support of relatives. Rashid, whose house was also affected by the elements, is raising two children.

"I submitted all the documents for compensation for partial loss of property in the first weeks. The commission described everything, but the payments are still delayed somewhere, due to bureaucratic red tape. But I didn't just sit idly by; I went to relatives and friends, borrowed money, and went into debt. I spent about 280,000 rubles on roof repairs and wall reinforcement, but now the house is dry. If I get compensation from the state, I will immediately pay off my debts," he said.

If a neighbor is in trouble, you don't wait for the official service to arrive; you take your tools and go help.

The man admits that without the physical help of fellow villagers, he would not have been able to restore his house so quickly. "In our village, the motto is: we help each other as we can, and these are not empty words. When the landslide occurred, men from all over the district came with shovels and personal equipment to help dig out belongings and clear debris. In the Caucasus, it is customary: if a neighbor is in trouble, you don't wait for the official service to arrive; you take your tools and go help. This is genuine solidarity, not out of despair," he noted.

Among the victims, there are those whose interaction with government structures went without delays and disputes. "Our family of four received all the necessary payments and compensations in full. The commission worked honestly, promptly assessed the damage. We received 78,735 rubles per person for partial loss of property. The allocated money was enough for us to restore our partially damaged house. But there are families that still haven't received anything at all," said villager Rasul.

One such family found itself in a very difficult situation. "Our house was severely damaged. Without compensation, we would not have been able to restore it. But when the commission came, it turned out that there were problems with the documents: the house was not registered to anyone, we somehow forgot to inherit it and just lived there. But State Duma deputy Jamaladin Gasanov promised targeted assistance to ten families who lost their homes and are having difficulty obtaining compensation from the state. Our family was included in this list and received help," said a local resident.

According to him, the deputy's assistance was enough to restore the house. "We are very grateful to him for his help. Besides us, nine other families received support. It was a real miracle for all of us. We all gathered together and took turns restoring houses. It is customary for us that if we need to pour a foundation or raise walls, neighbors, relatives, and friends come with their tools and concrete mixers. Today we raised one house, tomorrow we go to another to raise it," the man said.

In the North Caucasus, floods caused by heavy rains began in late March and became one of the most destructive in recent years. Dagestan and Chechnya were the most affected by the elements, according to a report from "Caucasian Knot" "Spring Flooding in the North Caucasus-2026".Materials on flooding in the republics of the North Caucasus in spring 2026 have been collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the thematic page "Flooding in the North Caucasus".