"This is a unique, the first such project in Russia." First Deputy Minister of Ecology Airat Shigapov presented a new project
Today, First Deputy Minister of Ecology Airat Shigapov told reporters about the launch of a project that will improve the ecological condition of rivers and reservoirs. The first object of study is the Kazanka River. The project was included in the list of socio-economic projects of Tatarstan supervised by Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Russia D. N. Chernyshenko. It was developed jointly with the Russian Geographical Society, leading institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and other scientific organizations. The work will be based on research activities that will identify the causes of Kazanka pollution and help develop a plan to restore the ecological state of the river. Specific tasks are the study of negative factors and their correlations, construction or reconstruction of sewage treatment plants, the implementation of coastal protection, dredging, forest reclamation, the buildup of aquatic biological resources, the identification and elimination of illegal discharges. As a result, and this is the ultimate goal of the new project - to reduce the intake of pollutants, which will significantly improve the condition of the river. "The project will be implemented in two stages: the first is carried out jointly with the RGS. As part of this stage, a complete cartography and zoning of the catchment area of the Kazanka River will be carried out to identify and assess the contribution of sources of pollution of the water body."- explained Airat Shigapov. Among the possible sources of pollution, he singled out soil erosion, places of plowing agricultural fields, the placement of animal waste. As of today, 15 monitoring points have already been set at Kazanka for the first time. "Our mission is research. Our task is to see the points that require attention, find them and photograph them, mark them on the map. And then transfer this data to the Ministry, where they will already react and make decisions," Deputy Chairman of the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society in the Republic of Tatarstan Andrey Agarkov shared his plans with journalists. At the second stage, it is planned to connect leading institutes and scientific organizations to the project, which will develop measures to improve the state of water. "This is a unique, the first such project in Russia, and since the sources of pollution are the same for all reservoirs, it is assumed that it will become a base for holding events throughout the country," Airat Shigapov summed up. The significance and relevance of the project were highly appreciated by Tatarstan residents themselves. According to the results of the national rating and a survey on the website of the state services of Russia, a pilot project to improve the ecological condition of rivers and reservoirs took first place among seven declared projects of the Republic of Tatarstan. Thanks to this eco-project, by 2024, more than 2 million people living near water bodies will notice how environmental conditions have improved.