Environmental problems of the Chelyabinsk region. Laws of the Chelyabinsk region on ecology

There were times when production records were at the forefront, and they did not think at what price they were given. The waste streams poured into the rivers, smoke pipes into the sky, and nothing. The main thing is that the plan was implemented. The industrial enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region, which is one of the most industrial in Russia, also paid little attention to ecology, although they have long been leaders in production indicators. As a result of this race, the Chelyabinsk region has become one of the ten most polluted regions of Russia for capacity expansion. In various ratings, it is put on the 73rd place out of 82, then on the 84th out of 85, and even not the last. In addition to industrial pollution, the ecology worsens the East Urals radioactive trail, which remained after the Kyshtym accident. Irresponsible attitude to the environment over the past 30 years has led to an almost 3-fold increase in the number of cancer patients, and every second suffers chronic diseases in the region.

It can not be said that the Ministry of Ecology of the Krai does not try to solve the problem. The authorities regularly publish the laws of the Chelyabinsk region on ecology. In particular, in 2016 a new Decree was issued, according to which ecology classes for students will be introduced into the curriculum, conservation activities of natural objects will be carried out, and environmentalists and enterprises will be supported. The implementation period of the Resolution is until 2025. There is also the Law on Environmental Monitoring, the Law on Wastes of Production and Consumption, the Law on Specially Protected Natural Objects. To infringers apply measures in the form of penalties, and even removal from posts. As we can see, environmental work is being done in the region, but the situation remains sad.

A Brief Historical Reference

Once the lands of the Chelyabinsk region were amazingly beautiful, the waters of rivers and lakes were crystal clear, everywhere the vegetation was rampant, and people lived in harmony with nature. The expedition came to these regions in the late 17th century, but found nothing useful. After 70 years, a second expedition took place, which included talented geologists. They managed to find iron ore here, which became the starting point for the industrial development of the region. First built the only plant in Zlatoust, and by the end of the 18th century there were about thirty. Especially large-scale development of the industry of the Chelyabinsk region was in the era of the first five-year plans. Now in the ferrous metallurgy of Russia this region has no equal. Together with non-ferrous metallurgy, the region produces 50% of the products produced in the country. The most industrial cities in the region are Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, Zlatoust, Karabash, Miass, Troitsk, Ust-Katav, Kopeysk.

Brief chemical analysis

Ecological problems of the Chelyabinsk region cause dozens of toxic substances in the atmosphere, in the ground, in the water of rivers and lakes. The most dangerous are:

• Benzpyren. It is released into the air, with rain or by itself settles on the ground, from where it enters the plants. It is able to accumulate in the body. It is a strong carcinogen, causes mutations in the genes, destroys DNA.
• Formaldehyde. Very toxic and explosive. Causes diseases of the eyes, skin, nervous system.
• Hydrogen sulphide. In minimal doses, it is useful, if you exceed the norms, causes nausea, headaches, swelling of the lungs, can lead to death.
• Nitrogen dioxide. It causes acid rains, is very toxic, changes the formula of blood.
• Heavy metals. Slow down the growth and development of children. Capable of accumulating in plants, in fish, in meat of birds and animals. People can cause cancer and a number of other serious illnesses.

Chelyabinsk Air

This beautiful city is called the capital of the Southern Urals. His history he leads since 1743 year. All three hundred years ago industrial production was developing here. Ecological problems of the Chelyabinsk region arose in connection with the work of such industrial giants as the plant of ferroalloys (Electrometallurgical Plant), zinc plant (CZP), forging and pressing, pipe-rolling, machine-building, crane-building plants.

In addition to environmental protection, the transport industry is deteriorating. In the city for 1000 citizens (including infants) there are 340 cars, harmful emissions of which amount to 120 thousand tons, or 44% of all environmental pollution. The most environmentally unfavorable is the metallurgical plant (CMP), which emits 46.6% of all hazardous substances into the atmosphere. The second place was taken by Fortum, which includes three CEC and GRES. The third place belongs to the CECM. In Chelyabinsk air, when sampling is constantly detected, the excess of MPC of benzpyrene, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, phenol and hydrogen sulphide is observed at times.

Chelyabinsk waters

Ecological problems of the Chelyabinsk region are associated with pollution of not only air. Enterprises poison water in water bodies. For a year they throw almost 200 million m3 of muck into the rivers, killing all the living things in them. The main waterway of the city is the Miass River. It receives untreated effluent from 26 enterprises, including commune farms. In the waters of the Miass, suspended substances, metals, and petroleum products are found 2-15 times higher than the MAC. Near the city of Karabash in Miass falls the river Sak-Elga, which, in fact, has become a sewage collector. Ecologists detect heavy metal ions in this place in the waters of Miass, up to 1 130 MPC. All this flows into the Argazinskoye reservoir. Residents of Chelyabinsk and the region take drinking water from another reservoir - Shershnevsky. To date, the Ministry of Environment of the Chelyabinsk region, making measurements, has issued a verdict on full compliance with the norms of water in this pond. However, an independent commission of environmentalists from Moscow, on the basis of its measurements, recognized the discrepancy between the Shershnev reservoir and the drinking source.

Chelyabinsk soils

Soils in the city are also heavily polluted. In them, arsenic, cadmium, and lead were found to exceed the norm, and the zinc content exceeded the MAC by almost 20%. Environmental problems of the Chelyabinsk region, concerning soil pollution, cause great concern among agricultural workers. To date, the amount of arable land contaminated with heavy metals is 95.6 thousand hectares. At the same time, benzpyrene is found above the norm by 21.8 thousand hectares, oil products - by 1.9 thousand, zinc - by 12 thousand, arsenic - by 3.8 thousand hectares. It is not difficult to imagine what fruit-vegetables grow on such lands.

The most threatening situation is near the Mechel enterprise, where benzpyrene in soils is present at a concentration of 437 MPC, and at a distance of 1 km from Mechel - 80 MPC. Also, the land near CHEMK, where benzpyrena 40 MPCs, and ChTZ, where this hazardous chemical is 20 MPCs, is also unfavorable.

Magnitogorsk

This city has its history since 1929, when the metallurgical combine was built here, although the Magnetic Fortress existed from the middle of the 18th century. Now in terms of production Magnitogorsk occupies the second position in the region. The largest enterprises here are the metallurgical plant (MMK), cement-refractory and crane factories, OAO Montazhnik, HiringMontazh, SITNO, and Magnitostroy. Thanks to the irresponsibility of their leaders, the ecology of the Chelyabinsk region as a whole suffers. The share of MMK in atmospheric pollution of the city is 96%. If you reveal this figure, the figures will be horrendous. Every day the plant emits 128 tons of fine dust into the atmosphere, 151 tons of SO2 (this is sulfur dioxide). In fine dust, these substances are found in excess of the MPC in 3-10 times: lead, copper, chromium, iron, benzene, benzpyrene, toluene, and the air is polluted in all urban areas. In soils, arsenic norms are exceeded 155 times, nickel 43 times, benzpyrene 87 times. Outside the city the situation is not much better. Here, harmful substances in soils are found "only" 45 times higher than normal.

Zlatoust

This city was founded in parallel with the construction of the first in the field of a metallurgical plant, that is, in 1754. Now the largest industrial enterprises of the Chelyabinsk region are located here - the electrometallurgical and machine-building plants, the arms factory, the metalwork plant and another fifteen large and small enterprises. All together, they throw into the atmosphere about 7.7 thousand tons of harmful substances per year. From 1993 to 1996, due to the efforts of environmentalists, emissions decreased by about 1.5 times, but since 2000 they have again crawled up. The city authorities are making attempts to improve the ecology, for which the bottom sediments are cleaned in the Balashikha Reservoir, a sewage system with a length of more than 2 km, designed to drain polluted water, was built.

Karabash

In this village there are only about 11 000 people. From Chelyabinsk to it on a straight line slightly more than 80 km. Karabash is a small town, so there are not many industrial enterprises here. Among them there are 2 abrasive plants and CJSC Karabashmed. This enterprise producing blister copper is trying very hard to make the ecology of the Chelyabinsk region the worst in the country.

The plant even tried to close it, because every year it "gives" every inhabitant 7 tons of sulfuric anhydrite, which is unusually poisonous. In the atmosphere, it comes into contact with oxygen, causing acid rain to fall out. Now the situation in Karabash is recognized as critical. Around the city the plant for many years of activity formed waste heaps of slag up to 40 meters high. There is also the Bald Mountain, on which the townspeople laid out the words "Save and Preserve". A separate topic is the Sak-Elga River. The water in it is yellow-orange, and the shores are fringed by stones that have been crusted by chemical corrosion.

Other cities

Many questions on ecology are caused by the city of Ozersk, more precisely, its production association "Mayak", which produces components of nuclear weapons and storing nuclear fuel. The radiation background in this city is medium in Russia, but the waste that has been thrown out for a long time into the Techa River served and now serves as a source of radiation for hundreds of people.

The tense situation in the city of Korkino, as well as in the village of Rosa. Here the air is poisoning the smoking fault. Interestingly, local experts call the current situation not dangerous, and allocated with smoke benzpyrene does not exceed the MPC, and Moscow specialists who took measurements, recognized Korkino as a disaster zone.

Do not give rest to the authorities and environmental problems of the city of Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk region. There are few large enterprises here. Among them there are slag-block, crane and plywood-tile factories. To a dysfunctional environmental situation, this plant, which uses formaldehyde, has brought it. When burning or storing waste production formaldehyde enters the air, into the soil and into the water. The measurements showed that its quantity exceeds the MPC several times.

Radiation

The production association "Mayak" causes special concern about the issue of radiation in the Chelyabinsk region, which is located, let us repeat, in Ozersk. At this strategic enterprise, from the 1950s to the 2000s, 32 emergency situations were recorded, which served as a significant increase in the radiation background. For a long time, all radioactive wastes containing isotopes of strontium, cesium, plutonium, zirconium, were ejected into the Techa River, which caused constant irradiation of all living on its shores. In total, for 50 years of operation (until 2000), Mayak sent 1.8 billiards of becquerels of radioactive elements into the atmosphere, polluting 25,000 km2. To dirty water did not enter the river, a number of sedimentation tanks, called cascades, were built. But they do not fulfill the assigned loads due to design errors. In addition, the East-Ural radioactive trail, which was formed after the Mayak accident that occurred in 1957, still carries a danger. Then, due to the explosion of one of the underground radiation burial grounds, more than 20 million curies of radioactive isotopes entered the atmosphere, which were blown away by the wind towards Tyumen. People caught in the zone of the cloud were resettled, their property was destroyed, and the East Urals Reserve was created on the contaminated territory. Here, till now it is impossible to collect mushrooms, berries, fish, graze cattle, even just walk.

Household rubbish

The Ministry of Ecology of the Chelyabinsk region deals with all of the above problems. But in the main city of the Chelyabinsk region there is another major source of pollution - a household waste dump. The optimal solution to this problem is the construction of waste-processing enterprises. In Chelyabinsk, they are not yet available. All garbage daily, beginning in 1949, is taken to a landfill located in the city. Now its area is about 80 km2, and the height of the garbage mountain is more than 40 meters. Of all the works to eliminate such a large-scale source of environmental pollution, only its fencing is conducted. The governor of the region has made the federal budget allocate 1 billion rubles for the liquidation of the dump in Chelyabinsk, as well as for the improvement of the situation in Karabash, in Chebarkul and in several other districts of the region.