Volga critically shallowed: who is to blame and what to do?
Apparently, the Kremlin will soon have to solve the problem of water supply not only in Crimea, but also in the "mainland." Mother Volga critically became shallow, fish perishes en masse, tourist cruises on the river have to be canceled, because the vessels do not have enough water to moor to the shore. What happens to the great Russian river, the longest in the Old World?
It is regrettable to admit this, what is happening is the work of human hands. Volga catastrophically shallowed due to banal incompetence and greed.
The winter of 2019 was quite snowy, according to some estimates, snow fell twice as much as normal. Forecasters gave a forecast of a large flood, but did not take into account that there was no severe cold, the level of permafrost was half the norm, and the water went into the ground in the forests. The great flood did not happen.
However, based on an incorrect forecast, the Interdepartmental Commission made an equally wrong decision to produce a powerful discharge of water from the Kuibyshev reservoir associated with the mighty river at the level of 25 thousand cubic meters per second. As a result, the water level in it decreased by 4 meters, from 53 meters to 49.73. At the same time, a level of 49 meters is considered a critical mark.
The reservoir was practically drained. According to one version, this was done to provide water to the Lower Volga, rich in fish farms, during the hot spring and summer. Then it was decided to restore the reserves of the Kuibyshev reservoir. As a result, the Volga and its tributaries became shallow. In some places, the river receded from the former banks by 100 meters. This, in turn, led to the mass death of fish, which could not go to the depths. In the shallow floodplains, locals find dried caviar. This means a decrease in the number of fish resources of the Volga in the future.
How much time will the great river take to recover from a man-made ecological nightmare?
The question is not idle, such problems are easy to arrange, and it’s quickly impossible to play everything back at the click of the bosses. Yulia Fayzrakhmanova, activist of the Volga and the people against movement from Kazan, explains that the problem lies in the attitude of the authorities to water resources. The shallow waters around the Kuibyshev reservoir are a unique natural object, not inferior to the Amazonian forests. They are necessary to restore natural balance.
However, in 2006, amendments were made to our Water Code that granted developers the right to build water protection zones with high-rise buildings. Cunning builders began to produce the so-called "gray backfill" of tidbits without expertise and approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources. The coastline is artificially expanded by embankment of sand and soil, the land level rises. According to Fayzrakhmanova, currently in Kazan, 60 hectares of floodplain forest, providing a catchment, are given for development, and the riverbank will be completely concreted.
But the apartments overlooking the Volga diverge like hotcakes.
It is regrettable to admit this, what is happening is the work of human hands. Volga catastrophically shallowed due to banal incompetence and greed.
Invalid decisions
The winter of 2019 was quite snowy, according to some estimates, snow fell twice as much as normal. Forecasters gave a forecast of a large flood, but did not take into account that there was no severe cold, the level of permafrost was half the norm, and the water went into the ground in the forests. The great flood did not happen.
However, based on an incorrect forecast, the Interdepartmental Commission made an equally wrong decision to produce a powerful discharge of water from the Kuibyshev reservoir associated with the mighty river at the level of 25 thousand cubic meters per second. As a result, the water level in it decreased by 4 meters, from 53 meters to 49.73. At the same time, a level of 49 meters is considered a critical mark.
The reservoir was practically drained. According to one version, this was done to provide water to the Lower Volga, rich in fish farms, during the hot spring and summer. Then it was decided to restore the reserves of the Kuibyshev reservoir. As a result, the Volga and its tributaries became shallow. In some places, the river receded from the former banks by 100 meters. This, in turn, led to the mass death of fish, which could not go to the depths. In the shallow floodplains, locals find dried caviar. This means a decrease in the number of fish resources of the Volga in the future.
Greed
How much time will the great river take to recover from a man-made ecological nightmare?
The question is not idle, such problems are easy to arrange, and it’s quickly impossible to play everything back at the click of the bosses. Yulia Fayzrakhmanova, activist of the Volga and the people against movement from Kazan, explains that the problem lies in the attitude of the authorities to water resources. The shallow waters around the Kuibyshev reservoir are a unique natural object, not inferior to the Amazonian forests. They are necessary to restore natural balance.
However, in 2006, amendments were made to our Water Code that granted developers the right to build water protection zones with high-rise buildings. Cunning builders began to produce the so-called "gray backfill" of tidbits without expertise and approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources. The coastline is artificially expanded by embankment of sand and soil, the land level rises. According to Fayzrakhmanova, currently in Kazan, 60 hectares of floodplain forest, providing a catchment, are given for development, and the riverbank will be completely concreted.
But the apartments overlooking the Volga diverge like hotcakes.
Information