Kazan is the capital of the Volga River. A project to modernize the water management system of the Volga-Kama Cascade was presented in Moscow
Within the framework of the forum "Strong Ideas for a New Age", Vyacheslav Dolgov, Head of the Department of Mineral Resources and Water Resources of the Ministry of Ecology of the Republic of Tatarstan, spoke about the strategic importance of the Volga-Kama basin at the session "Presentation of ideas for the National Environmental and Climate Initiative: Nature Enhancement".
In his speech, the speaker emphasized the unique geographical location of the Republic of Tatarstan on an advantageous transport and logistics section of the North-South international transport corridor, on the border between the upper and lower Volga Rivers, as well as at the confluence with the Kama River.
"Kazan has the largest river port, which is the "water gateway" of the Volga region with access to five seas: the Sea of Azov, the Caspian, the Baltic, the White, the Black, as well as Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega," said the speaker.
Special attention was paid to the importance of the Volga-Kama cascade of reservoirs, which provides water and electricity, protects from flooding the territory where 40% of the Russian population lives. According to Dolgov, the management of this system is "without exaggeration related to the tasks of national security."
The speaker presented a comprehensive program to modernize the water management system of the Volga-Kama basin, which is aimed at solving a number of interrelated problems, such as limited navigation opportunities, increased risks of flooding, and environmental degradation.
Among the proposed measures, the speaker announced a phased increase in the Cheboksary and Nizhnekamsk reservoirs to design levels, the construction of a low-pressure hydroelectric complex below the Volgograd reservoir, the creation of a distribution system of water pipes for optimal flooding of the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain, the introduction of modern mathematical modeling methods and digital management technologies.
An important part of the project is the proposal to create a unified management center for the Volga-Kama Cascade in Kazan. "The Republic of Tatarstan is ready to provide the necessary support for the organization of its work in Kazan," Vyacheslav Dolgov emphasized.