By Vestnik Kavkaza
The mineral water factory of Achaluki is one of the oldest enterprises in Ingushetia. It produces three types of water. Two of them are similar to water from Karlovy Vary and Borzhomi; the mineral composition of the third type is unique. Mineral springs were found in the village of Middle Achaluki in the 19th century. “In 1860 the wells were drilled. They searched for oil. But suddenly they found water. The factory was founded in 1929, and it is still stably working today,” the general director of “Achaluki” Magomed Aushev told Vestnik Kavkaza.
In 2005 the factory was reequipped and modernized. Water is now bottled not only in glass, but also plastic bottles. To mark the 20th anniversary of the Republic of Ingushetia in 2012, the useful space of the factory was enhanced by almost seven times. “We have built 24 km of 375mm-diameter water pipelines. Why? To bottle water from Kantyshev. The Kantyshev water intake area is there. Why do we take water from there? Because we sent this water for analysis to Moscow, and we can bottle this water even today. The water is of the highest category. Due to the enhancement, due to the equipment, we are creating new jobs. Our chief engineer calculated that we will create up to 500 new jobs,” Aushev says.
It is planned to develop production by means of establishing additional production works, primarily containers. Plastic bottles are already produced in the factory. The mass of rough pieces is on average heavier than that of other producers, which is why the bottles are harder and water is not spilled from an open bottle when you squeeze it. It is more expensive, but much more convenient. Moreover, the factory doesn’t economise on equipment. “Today we have German and Italian equipment. This equipment will enable us to bottle natural juices. We will provide not only our regions, but also neighboring Chechnya, Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria with our products,” Aushev states.
In the Soviet times Achaluki could be found only in drugstores. Today it is much easier – the factory exports water to Moscow, St.-Petersburg, Voronezh, Rostov, Tula, Stavropol, and many other cities. “We have major reserves. Today we can bottle up to half a million bottles per day,” the head of “Achaluki” says. “1,300,000 – 1,350,000 bottles. The equipment enables us to do it, as well as debits and resources.”
