Pollution of a water body entails imprisonment for up to 5 years A criminal case was initiated in Orekhovka village with regard to the fact of lake pollution - damage was inflicted on the water body in the amount of about 4 million rubles

Untreated sewage waters from the sewage well were discharged directly into the lake in Orekhovka village of Zelenodolsk district. Exceedance in maximum permissible concentrations of pollutants (ammonium ion – by 227 times, phosphate ion – by 75 ties,  manganese – by 1.6 times,  petroleum products – by 21.7 times,  phenol – by 43 ties,  anionic surfactants – by 140 times) were registered by experts of the Central Specialized Inspection for Analytical Control under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan. Moreover, the results of analyses showed toxicity of water discharged from the sewage well into the lake. Specialists had to make on-site visits several times for the purposes of a detailed and profound analysis. Based on the obtained results, specialists of the Ministry of Ecology estimated the damage inflicted on the water body, which amounted to 3.8 million rubles. Case materials compiled owing to the joint work of the specialists of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the RT, Kazan Interdistrict Nature Protection Prosecutor's Office and Tatar Interdistrict Nature Protection Prosecutor's Office were referred to the Investigation Committee.  On April 13th, a forensic investigator of the Scientific Investigation Division under the Office of Investigations of the Investigation Committee of the Russian Federation for the Republic of Tatarstan gave a ruling to initiate criminal case under part 2 of Article 247 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Failure to comply with the rules of management of ecologically hazardous substances and waste". According to the article, production of prohibited types of hazardous waste, as well as transportation, storage, burial, use or other handling of radioactive, bacteriological, chemical substances and waste in breach of the established rules, which entail pollution, poisoning or contamination of the environment, infliction of harm to the human health or mass death of animals, are deemed an offense as well as the actions carried out in the ecological disaster zone or in the area of environmental emergency. This envisages the fine in the amount varying from a hundred to three hundred rubles or in the amount of a salary or other income of the convict for the period varying from one to two years, or compulsory labor for up to five years, or imprisonment for the same period of time.

Press Service of the Ministry