It was proposed to create a unified management center for the Volga-Kama cascade at a scientific and practical conference in Kazan today
Fluctuations in the water level at the Kuibyshev reservoir provoke a variety of problems and negative consequences. Until 2001, the Middle Volga Basin Water Management Association existed on the territory of the Volga region, which took into account the interests of the Kuibyshev reservoir. Cascade regulation, distribution of water between water users, solving problems related to the development of predictive models and other issues related to the optimization of the work of the VKC must be implemented through the creation of a single decision-making center for the functioning of the VKC.
"Speaking generally about the Volga-Kama cascade of reservoirs, it should be said that the problem of regulating levels cannot be solved by territorial division, solving separate, isolated tasks. It is necessary to unite the basin councils on the Volga and create a single center," said Alexander Shadrikov, Minister of Ecology.
Only an integrated approach that takes into account all interrelated aspects will make it possible to achieve a stable and favorable state of the system.
The lack of a single decision-making center often leads to conflicts of interest between different regions and industries. Solving the problem requires taking into account the interests of all stakeholders, the head of the Ministry of Ecology summed up – from the population of coastal areas to industrial enterprises and energy companies.
It is necessary to develop a unified management strategy for the VKC, including modernization of hydraulic structures, measures to prevent coastal erosion, optimization of reservoir operating modes taking into account environmental requirements and needs of the population, as well as an effective decision-making mechanism based on a comprehensive analysis of all factors. The liquidation of the Middle Volga Basin Water Management Association demonstrated the need to restore or create a similar structure for coordination of actions at the level of the entire VKC. The opinion of the Minister of Ecology was supported by Sergey Evstafievich Bednaruk, head of the Information and Analytical Center of the Register and Cadastre of the Russian State Agrarian University.