Unique tropical plants are freezing in Perm: the botanical garden has no money for heating repairs.

A unique collection of tropical plants at the Perm State National Research University's botanical garden is under threat. They are freezing due to a malfunctioning heating system. 

Director of the Botanical Garden Sergei Shumikhin рассказал 59.ru reports that plants have already begun to die due to the cold. They're trying to warm the greenhouse with heat guns, but the temperature only reaches 18 degrees Celsius, while the minimum required is 22 degrees Celsius. Heating is also necessary for aquatic plants. The Victoria amazonica, a highlight of the botanical garden's water lily collection, has already perished due to the cold water. 

The heating problem arose because of the heat exchanger, which has been in operation for 18 years. Recently, it began leaking. According to Shumikhin, its repair costs amount to 49,000 rubles. The boiler used to heat water for irrigation is also not working: kettles cannot heat such a volume, and cold water rots the plants' roots. 

The glazing above the 129-year-old Genkel palm tree, which brought to Perm back in 1916 – 20 years before the opening of the university. 

Shumikhin and his colleagues wrote an open letter to Perm Krai Governor Dmitry Mukhin and contacted university Rector Igor Germanov six times. However, they have no plans to address the problem yet: only one letter received a response. It stated that all heating systems were prepared for winter, but there were no funds to repair the heat exchanger. According to the university's estimates, the total cost of repairs is 10 million rubles. 

Photo: 59.ru