Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned of a looming crisis in public utilities on Tuesday, saying most of the country's infrastructure is dilapidated.
"According to estimates, over 60% of the public utilities infrastructure has outlived its service life," Medvedev told a government meeting. "Unless we deal with it now, in five or seven years there will be a disaster."
He said modernizing the infrastructure and drawing private investment is a priority.
The government should create conditions for private investment, the president said.
Most of Russia's public utilities infrastructure was set up decades ago during the 1960s-1970s housing boom, but there has been no major maintenance program since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
SYKTYVKAR, November 23 (RIA Novosti)