Value for humanity
Baikal is the largest freshwater lake on our planet. And, what is most
beautiful, its waters have amazing purity (one of the cleanest lakes in the
world). This natural wonder is located in Eastern Siberia (Russia).
More than 300 rivers flow into the lake, but only one river flows out the Angara. But this river is very huge and has a length of 1779
kilometers. The hangar carries the clear waters of the lake over great
distances, which is very healthy. Several large reservoirs have been
creating on the river, which provides water to a huge number of people.
The practical benefits of Lake Baikal are very great, but this is not the
only advantage of the lake.
Due to the content of large reserves of oxygen in all layers of water, a
huge number of living organisms live in the reservoir. There are 2600
species of aquatic animals alone! Moreover, more than a thousand of
them live only here. This fact makes the lake the property of the whole
world, and these are not just beautiful words, but a fact. Lake Baikal is
recognized as a World Natural Heritage Site.
The preservation of the cleanliness of the reservoir is an important task
to which Russia takes very seriously. A lot is being done to protect
Baikal from pollution. But, as it usually happens, some people are not
able to comprehend the value of the World Heritage property. This
unflattering comment is addressed to Mongolia (East Asia) because it is
on the territory of this country that the Selenga River is actively
polluted, which subsequently flows into Lake Baikal.
Origin and history
Scientists estimate that Lake Baikal is about 25 million years old. The
nature of its formation is still not established with accuracy, although
most researchers are inclined to the tectonic origin. In any case, the age
of Lake Baikal makes it a unique natural object, since usually, such
lakes exist only for 10-15 thousand years. Although the opinion about
the origin of the lake still raises a lot of questions, one thing is certain:
the transformations in the area are continuing; regular earthquakes are
observed, and the size of the lake increases annually by 2 centimeters.
By the way, the size of Lake Baikal is impressive. Curved in the shape
of a crescent, it reaches a length of 690 kilometers and a width of about
79. Lake Baikal takes 7th place in the world in terms of water surface,
and its maximum depth reaches more than 1600 meters. Several
tributaries constantly replenish the water reserve of the lake, and the
most famous of them are the Barguzin and Verkhnyaya Angara, Turka
and Snezhnaya rivers, and the largest tributary are the Selenga. The only
Angara river takes its source from Baikal. The amazing lake was
included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and water, of course, was
recognized as its main resource. It has a unique composition
characterized by a low content of organic matter and minerals. The
oxygen content is very high. The average water temperature does not
reach above 10 degrees, but a maximum of 23 degrees is recorded in the
bays. The water in Baikal is so clean and transparent that in some places
visibility reaches 40 meters in depth. In a word, the lake is really
difficult, and therefore the solution to the problem of its pollution is of
such importance.
Sources of danger
The environmental problems of Lake Baikal were first announced in
1998, as part of a conference held by the Presidium of the Russian
Academy of Sciences. A year later, in 1999, the federal law On the
Protection of Lake Baikal was officially signed. This law spells out the
requirements for a special regime for conducting business activities, as
well as introduces basic prohibitions. All this was supposed to gradually
solve the issue of pollution. A detailed approach to the problem, alas, is
still quite difficult, since the unique biosphere of the lake has not yet
been fully studied. Nevertheless, the main sources of pollution of
Baikal’s waters have been identified with absolute accuracy: the
polluted waters of the Selenga River and wastewater from Tourist
camps, a series of hydroelectric power stations on the Angara River and
the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill.
Selenga River, starting in Mongolia
The pollution of Baikal has become a serious problem over the past 20
years. There are several reasons for environmental degradation.
Among the main threats is the pollution of the waters of the Selenga
River flowing into Baikal. It provides 50% of the water inflow entering
the lake. Two-thirds of the area of the Selenga drainage basin is located
in Mongolia. Wastes discharged by residents of the Mongolian capital
Ulan Bator fall into the Selenga, and from there into Baikal. Erdenet,
one of the main gold mining and copper beneficiation companies in
Asia, and gold mines on the Tuul and Khara rivers also contribute. They
are also located on the territory of Mongolia.
Uncontrolled tourism
There are many problems associated with uncontrolled tourism.
“Tourism has become the most powerful factor in the pollution of nature
on the coast of Lake Baikal,” says Dmitry Kobylkin, Minister of Natural
Resources and Ecology.
Over the past decade and a half, the flow of tourists has grown sharply.
About 2.5 million people visit the Baikal coast annually. There are over
a thousand hotels and campsites that do not always comply with
environmental standards. The dumping of waste into the water, tons of
garbage and countless buildings were the direct result of the tourist
boom.
Speaking about the pollution of Lake Baikal, you need to understand
that we are not talking about the whole lake, but about coastal zones.
Would the Chinese then buy unclean water?
In the territory of Buryatia, there are not enough modern high-quality
treatment facilities. This is especially true of the city of Ulan-Ude. Here
it is necessary to accelerate the work on their modernization and look at
local sources of pollution, starting with the fleet - these are two thousand
vessels that need to be converted to gas engine fuel and ending with
local treatment plants in villages that are located on the shore of Lake
Baikal, the deputy noted in an interview with Tsargrad The State Duma
is from Buryatia Nikolai Budget.
Pulp and paper mill
For about fifty years, the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (PPM) posed the
main threat. Although the pulp and paper mill is already closed, the
consequences of its activities are still affecting. Millions of tons of
hazardous waste in sludge collectors leftover from the plant are located
on the shore of Lake Baikal. These are areas with a high probability of
earthquakes, floods, and mudflows. If due to natural disasters, the pulp
and paper mill breaks through the pulp and paper mill, the release of dirt
into the lake will be equal to discharges within 700 years, the
Limnological Institute warns. Of the active sources of pollution,
hydroelectric power plants on the Angara River should also be noted.
A water bottling plant under construction in the coastal zone of Baikal
(in Kultuk) for its export to China will also add to the ecosystem’s
problems. However, the Irkutsk court upheld the decision on the
illegality of the construction of this facility. In addition to the industrial
impact, the damage to Lake Baikal is caused by guests and residents.
The distribution of spirogyra, which Academician Fedotov spoke about,
is associated with the dumping of waste along the coast where people
live. The treatment facilities located here cannot cope with the treatment
of wastewater to the required level. Many of them are worn out; there is
not a sewage system everywhere.
How we can to save Baikal?
In April of this year, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Dmitry
Kobylkin instructed the head of Rosleskhoz, Ivan Valentik, to develop a
four-point action plan. Here they are:
 It is necessary to amend the federal law prohibiting the discharge
of wastewater into Lake Baikal from industrial facilities and
utilities.
 Prohibit the construction of non-environmental facilities in the
coastal zone.
 Reduce pollution due to the Selenga River.
 Introduce the NDT Handbook “Wastewater Treatment”.
 These paragraphs almost exactly repeat the recommendations of
international environmental organizations. But it is not yet clear at
what stage the development of this plan is and when it will be
implemented.