Farid Abdulganiev: “A lot of work has been done to reduce the anthropogenic pressure on the main river of the country, the Volga”

Inventory of industrial discharges, establishment of coastlines, state registration of land plots of 50-meter coastline from reservoirs, demolition of 365 illegal buildings to ensure public access to water bodies, strengthening supervision over violation of water protection legislation. Farid Abdulganiev, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan, reported today on measures aimed at reducing the anthropogenic pressure on the main river of the country, the Volga. In the Moscow Kremlin, under the chairmanship of Sergei Ivanov, the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation on environmental protection, ecology and transport, the chairman of the organizing committee for the Year of the Ecology in the Russian Federation, the fourth meeting of the organizing committee for the Year of the Environment in the Russian Federation was held.

Together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia, a regional priority project for improving the Volga has been formed, in the framework of which, before 2025, preliminary activities for a total of 15.7 billion rubles have been planned. The main emphasis will be placed on eliminating the discharge of insufficiently treated sewage, for the reconstruction and modernization of sewage treatment facilities.

The minister told about the positive developments. Over the past 2 years more than 1 billion rubles from republican funds have been allocated for activities in the field of water disposal, construction and reconstruction of treatment facilities. The republic's enterprises received the same amount in the framework of the federal target program “Development of the Water Management Complex of the Russian Federation in 2012-2020”. Among them JSC Ammoniy (implementation of the project “Construction of recycling and re-supply systems, biological treatment facilities at the complex for the production of ammonia, methanol and carbamide), JSC Tatspirtprom (implementation of projects “Construction of sewage treatment plants”).

Farid Abdulganiev also proposed the solution of the problem of the negative influence of diffuse flow on water bodies. In Tatarstan, there is a positive experience of planting trees and shrubs on the water protection zone of the Kazanka River and its tributaries. The work continues, and the necessary land plots have been identified, the required planting materials have been ordered. Afforestation of water protection zones and sewerage equipment by treatment facilities will prevent the entry of agricultural fertilizers, livestock wastes, as well as anti-ice products into water bodies and will eliminate the formation of blue-green algae. This issue was carefully studied with the involvement of leading experts in the framework of an international conference on blue-green algae held in Kazan in June this year.

Considering the complex issue of improving the Volga River, one should not forget about the large water bodies flowing into it, Farid Abdulganiev, the Minister of Ecology of Tatarstan, said. Now in the republic the issue of elimination of objects of accumulated ecological damage in the waters of Kuibyshev and Nizhnekamsk reservoirs on Kama is being solved. The other day between Rosrybolovstvo and the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan an agreement on cooperation was signed, under which a construction of a plant for the production of sturgeon fry is planned.

Also in his report, the Minister of Ecology of Tatarstan noted that “more than 10,000 environmental events (lessons, cleanups, competitions) were held in the framework of the Year of Ecology in the Russian Federation and the Year of Ecology and Public Spaces in the Republic of Tatarstan, involving more than 1 million 200 thousand people, and this is more than half (63%) of the active population of the republic.” The role of the public, according to Abdulganiev, is extremely important in the implementation of the project for improving the Volga. Today in Tatarstan there is an institute of public inspectors for nature protection provided with material and methodological support, and the successfully operating ecological movement “Will be clean”, which unites 6 500 activists.

Press Service of MENR RT