The third stage of the Free Current project to restore Kazanka River has started in Tatarstan
The third stage of the pilot project of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan "Free current", aimed at ecological rehabilitation of the Kazanka River, has begun in the Republic of Tatarstan. This was announced on July 3 at a press conference in Tatar-inform by Olga Manidicheva, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The project is being implemented by the Tatarstan branch of the Russian Geographical Society with the support of the Head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, and in support of the national Environmental Well-being project. The project is aimed at restoring the natural hydrological regime of one of the most important rivers of the republic.
"Kazanka is an iconic river for the capital of Tatarstan. The socio-ecological initiative was announced by Tatarstan as part of seven projects that were put up for public vote. The environmental project took the first place in all the votes conducted by our federal colleagues. We all understand how high the demand of the population for environmental improvement is," Olga Manidicheva noted.
During the previous two years of the project, 55 rubble blocks were dismantled, preventing the free flow of the river, more than 800 bags of garbage were collected from the banks and riverbed of the Kazanka River, and 3,800 cubic meters of wood were extracted from the water.
As part of the third stage of the Free current project, it is planned to continue monitoring the already cleared sections of the river, expand the work area to new sections of the Kazanka River and strengthen educational work among the population.
"The removal of rubble on the Kazanka River and the ecorehabilitation of the Blue Lakes are part of a unified concept for the restoration of Tatarstan's unique water system. Thanks to the Free Current project, we are not only returning the river to its natural course, but also increasing the self–cleaning capacity of the reservoir, creating favorable conditions for river tourism," the participants of the press conference noted.
The event was also attended by Dmitry Shiller, Chairman of the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society in the Republic of Tatarstan, and Rinat Chispiyakov, Head of the Department of Wildlife Conservation of the State Committee for Biological Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan.
The results of the project will become the basis for the development of methods for the ecological rehabilitation of small rivers not only in Tatarstan, but throughout Russia.