Vladimir Putin: "We will continue the improvement of unique water bodies, including Baikal and Volga, and in the midterm we will extend this work to our rivers such as the Don, Kama, Irtysh, Ural, Terek, Volkhov and Neva, Lake Ilmen"
As Alexander Shadrikov noted: "The program for the improvement of water bodies, which Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin spoke about today, is a project in demand and necessary for all of us. Our Republic also came out with the initiative of creating a "Improvement of Kama" federal project.
Tatarstan, together with the Perm Region, is the initiator of the need to create a"Improving the Kama" federal project. When considering this initiative, the Government of the Russian Federation decided to expand the Program of Improvement of water bodies in general for the country, which will include the Kama River.
Let us recall that the Kama, including the Nizhnekamsk reservoir, is located in the north-east of the Republic of Tatarstan and a third of the population of the republic uses the surface water of the river for domestic drinking water supply.
The main causes of pollution of water bodies on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan, as for all subjects of Russia, are sewage treatment plants, as well as diffuse – unregulated runoff coming from the territory adjacent to water bodies.
The program will allow for modernization, reconstruction and also the construction of treatment facilities, which of course will affect the improvement of the quality of discharged water.
As the Minister of Ecology of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexander Shadrikov has repeatedly noted, the problem of diffuse effluents from agro-industrial facilities is an acute issue that requires the involvement of science to solve it. At the end of 2021, the Ministry initiated a pilot research project "Improving the ecological state of rivers and reservoirs of the Republic of Tatarstan". In the list of socio-economic projects of Tatarstan supervised by Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Russia Dmitry Nikolaevich Chernyshenko according to the results of the National Rating, as well as a survey on the website of the State Services of Russia, out of seven declared projects of the republic, this project took first place, which shows its not only environmental, but also high social significance for residents. The project is multi-stage, in 2022, the first stage on the Kazanka River has already been carried out by the RGS with the involvement of volunteers. 750 points have been identified that harm the river. This year, the RGS plans to continue work on the Kazanka River already on its clearing. It is assumed that this project will be replicated throughout the country, as the identified problems are typical for many reservoirs in Russia. The project has already received a diploma in the nomination "The best promising project and development" of the "Ecology – Reliable Partner" All-Russian competition
If we talk specifically about the Kama River, then 50% of pollution also enters this water body together with unorganized runoff, which is formed on the territory of agro- and industrially developed catchments. The problem is compounded by the fact that this drain, as a rule, is not controlled and regulated.
One of the measures to eliminate diffuse runoff is the creation of water protection protective forest stands along the shores of water bodies, which will delay pollution coming from diffuse runoff.
Taking into account the importance of solving all these problems in the development of the federal project, the Republic proposed to include measures for the construction and reconstruction (modernization) of treatment facilities (a register of BTPs has already been prepared, including for which there is already developed design and estimate documentation for inclusion in this program), lifting and disposal of sunken and abandoned watercraft, as well as the creation of water protection protective forest stands along the shores of water bodies.
The implementation of the new federal project can be based on the experience of the federal project "Improvement of the Volga" of the "Ecology" national project.