Dusty Rybreka
(Television news story transcript)
Local female resident, 00:01-00:28: There, you see the well. It's closed. So that there wouldn't
be any dust. There's a mat covering it. But, you see, everything is dusty. Do you drink? Yes, but
you have a filter. Yes. We use a filter all the same.
Lidiya Konstantinovna shows us her plot of land. She has gathered the harvest and prepared
firewood--everything is in order. If there only weren't so much dust, the neat housekeeper
complains. No matter how much you brush away, it still accumulates once again. It's the same in
the house as it is outside. And these comments are the same in every courtyard of every building.
Local female resident, 00:12-00:21: Even take a look at the trees. See how the leaves are. And
this is already after rain. More or less.
We arrived at the end of August. It was already cool and humid, and, as a result, the dust was not
as visible, the residents say. They have something to compare it with: to us, the grayness on the
leaves does not seem normal. And if there is currently dust during the rainy season, then
imagining how much there is in the summer is not so difficult.
Local female resident: We complained. A commission arrived. Apparently, they were told
something. They clean things up, pour water on everything. Then, they leave and everything is
like new. Or they will come after some rain. Clearly someone let them know. If only they came by
chance. Or called one of the residents. And if only they saw what's happening here. Especially at
night. When the sun sets, we're covered in dust.
In 2013, the residents filed a collective complaint, according to Rospotrebnadzor, the Federal
Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare. The agency's staff
visited the village, carried out research. They followed protocol. The indicators of noise and gas
content of the air were all within the normal range. They also took measurements at other times.
According to the law, they check the quarries once every three years. That's not too frequently,
the agency admits, but that's the law. And all a measurements were always within the allowable
range.
Alexander Frolov, deputy head of the sanitary supervision in the Karelian Republic branch
of Rospotrebnadzor: Unfortunately, we are following the legislation. We do what we are
ordered to do. We do not have the right not to inform the legal entity that we are carrying out an
inspection. Moreover, the legal entity has the opportunity to learn about this inspection much
earlier before we inform them. In other words, they know about the inspection and, accordingly,
prepare for it. But this is their right in accordance with the demands of the legislation.
We decided to carry out our own research without warning the industry. We privately contacted
a Petrozavodsk company that specializes in this work. They warned us that we shouldn't expect
for any special results. It's humid in autumn, and, thus, very unlikely that an air sample will show
anything. And, when we arrived in Rybreka, the weather was truly unfavorable for taking
measurements: windy, and it had rained the previous evening. Nonetheless, we took air samples
in 12 places: near the pier, at the warehouse, by the road, and near homes, the school, and the
well. According to the protocol, the concentration of harmful substances at each location turned
out to be within the normal range. The highest result was the concentration of crushed stone near
the warehouse: 3.3 tenths of a milligram per cubic meter, while normal is up to 6 milligrams. We
also took measurements of noise at five locations: near the road where vehicles carrying crushed
stone pass, at one site during an industrial explosion, and in a home. In all three locations, the
measurements were higher than the allowable norms. In other words, the people's complaints
about noise were well founded.
Journalist (stand up): Crushed stone is transported from Rybreka along Lake Onega. The
residents complain that this has already affected the water quality. They don't risk drinking it.
We are taking samples for chemical analysis and will deliver them to a biochemistry laboratory.
We also take water samples from one of the roadside wells in order to provide it for expert
analysis by the Institute of Water Problems of the North. The scientists do this lab work for us
absolutely free of charge. The water sample is characterized by high chroma, which is
understandable, given the lake's proximity to a river.
Pyotr Lozovik, head of the hydrochemistry and hydrology laboratory at the Institute of
Water Problems of the North of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Karelian Research
Center: We were a bit surprised by the relatively high amount of suspended solids not
characteristic of Lake Onega. It is possible that this is the effect of stone mining. But,
unfortunately, since the sample period was stormy, it may be due to the re-suspension of bottom
sediment. We cannot give an unequivocal answer.
The water from the well also stood out for its high chroma and nitrate content, which is
connected with the agricultural work going on nearby. It is suitable for drinking, but contains
more suspended particles than expected.
Pyotr Lozovik, head of the hydrochemistry and hydrology laboratory at the Institute of
Water Problems of the North: We were once again surprised by the high content of suspended
solids. Usually the water in wells is light, settled, and there is little in the way of suspended
matter. This also could be tied to the effect of stone mining.
Dmitri Rybakov is an ecologist and a member of the Institute of Geology in the Karelian
Academy of Sciences. He has been studying the effects of dust on human health for more than a
year. As the first order of business, we show him the warehouse. The building is located directly
in the village, 50 meters distance from the houses. Many of these houses are already empty,
which is understandable. Living next door to a place where they constantly dump and remove
crushed stone is not very pleasant.
Dmitri Rybakov, ecologist, director and coordinator of the non-governmental organization
"Association of Greens of Karelia" and senior researcher at the Russian Academy of
Sciences' Karelian Research Center: In the suspended solids there are small particles of dust,
smaller than two microns, and, once they get into the lungs, they don't ever come out. And they
carry out destructive work on the respiratory tract, which we now know. (03:14-03:30) Research
has been carried out and its results have been published. It is clearly estimated that 40,000
people in our country die from dust.
But research on the effects of dust on human health in Karelia has not been carried out. Such
research should be long-term and would, naturally, cost money. The bureaucrats have not
ordered any such research. What's surprising is that there are not even statistics on illness in
individual settlements. A paramedic from the Ryboretsky settlement told us about this, but
declined to give an interview on camera, even though she is a deputy of the local council and
knows about the problem. At the Ministry of Health, they directed us to Prionezhsky district
hospital. The deputy head doctor clarified that they do have statistics by district. But considering
that the mining industry is developing in all regions around Lake Onega, we are interested in
general numbers.
Irina Ananyeva, deputy head doctor of the medical unit: As in all of Karelia, illnesses of the
respiratory system take first place in terms of morbidity. The make up the lion's share of
illnesses. The indicators for Prionezhky district are 10% higher. For chronic bronchitis, the
local statistics exceed those of the wider republic.
However, the local doctors connect the frequent cases of bronchitis and upper respiratory
infections with the climate: rainfall and waterlogged soil.
Irina Ananyeva, deputy head doctor of the medical unit: It's very difficult to say because I
think that, not having scientific data, I don't have a right to claim that the quarries are causing
harm. We need a scientific basis. But could the dust be having an effect? Well, in principle, it's
possible. I think that, if there are complaints from residents, if the population is worried, then it
is necessary to carry out research in order to understand whether or not there is a harmful
factor.
The head of the Ryboretsky settlement is herself not sounding the alarm, and also declined to
talk with us on camera, like the paramedic. She said that she will not stand between the residents
and the quarry. But the head of the Prionezhsky district, Alexey Luchin, agreed to meet and
answer our questions. According to him, the Karelkamen corporation ["Karelstone" in English translator] is almost the best enterprise in the district. It pays its taxes correctly and salaries
according to the law, organizes celebrations in the district, and otherwise helps Rybreka.
Alexey Luchin, head of the Prionezhsky district: They helped the library with the purchase of
heaters, the kindergarten with equipment and supplies, and are helping the school with the
purchase of various equipment. They helped the House of Culture to buy outdoor equipment and
install a remote fire alarm. Do they allocate their materials for dusting the local roads? This is
very important, plus they help with technology. Every year, the electricians' services inspect and
repair the streetlights in Rybreka.
It raises a question: isn't that the administration's role? As they explained to us, the budget of the
Ryboretsky settlement is extremely small, 9 million rubles. Utilities, salary--the money is hardly
enough for these expenses. What's more, according to Alexey Luchin, the Karelkamen
corporation fills the district budget by 87%. It's not clear what the other quarries--and there are
around 10 in the settlement--are doing. Either they don't work, or they are concealing their taxes,
which, according to Luchin, is completely possible. Thus, it turns out that Karelkamen is the
king and GOD of Rybreka. If the corporation died, so would the villages. But we are trying to
understand whether Karelkamen is a good king. Is fifty million rubles a year in taxes a lot or a
little? According to the director of the of the economics institute of the Karelian Academy of
Sciences, Yuri Savelyev, all enterprises in the mining sphere pay slightly more than 1.5 billion
into the budget of Karelia.
Yuri Savelyev, director of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences'
Karelian Research Center: If we approach the payment of taxes on profits absolutely honestly,
then the profit should be 50 percent more. I don't want to say that they are using "black
schemes." These are completely legal schemes. Any enterprise would use this to minimize costs.
As for Karelkamen, according to the record from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, it
was registered in Karelia. But its founder was far from local: the commercial company BVI
Klarston Holdings Ltd. It's address is in the British Virgin Islands. This is one of the offshore
zones. What does this tell us?
Yuri Savelyev, director of the Institute of Economics at the Russian Academy of Sciences'
Karelian Research Center: That the company is using legal schemes to minimize its taxes. But I
won't say that the company uses "black" or "gray schemes." I'm not acquainted with the specific
situation. Any conclusions would be unfounded. On the other hand, today no one forbids
registering enterprises in offshore zones if they use a legal scheme of cooperation between the
founder and the management of the company, which is operating here in the region.
The general director is also not a local. He lives and works in St. Petersburg. Crushed stone is
transported there, as well as to a number of other Russian cities, by water, automobile, and
railroad. The selling price of crushed stone at the quarry today is 250-300 rubles per cubic meter.
But the final price, including transport and other costs, is four times higher. Karelia makes its
profit from the selling price.
Yuri Savelyev, director of the Institute of Economics at the Russian Academy of Sciences'
Karelian Research Center: Although production is located on this territory, one must
understand that, if production does not have its own system of logistics for transporting the
product to other regions and selling it there, its share will remain very small. And, today, the
situation is very much this way: the logistics scheme is controlled by the founder. Therefore, all
profits created in the sphere of circulation, and not in production, will remain outside the
borders of the republic.
As for the taxes paid by the enterprise, they do not all remain in Karelia. According to Alexey
Luchin, of 50 million rubles, 30 million go into the federal and republican budgets, and less than
half--20 million--remains in the district. And even less remains in the settlement, considering
that its entire budget is 9 million rubles. As we showed earlier, this is only enough money to
cover the essentials.
Local female resident: I'm curious, where do these taxes go? There are no public improvements
in this village. Neither a public bathhouse, nor a public restroom. The situation is that we've all
been abandoned.
A summer gathering in Rybreka on the occasion of the head of Karelia's arrival. The residents
share their urgent issues in the hall of a local club. The regional head makes promises. The
resident's listen and hope, but already don't believe.
Local female resident: They only take from us, and no one needs us.
We tried to contact the general director of the Karelkamen company, Pavel Shebanov. But no
one answered the mobile phone number we found for him. And, in the company's Petrozavodsk
office, they connected us with the deputy director for development.
Natalia Kertsova, deputy director for development, LLC "Karelkamen": What the residents
said is their opinion. We will treat them with respect. We will see and listen. If it is constructive,
then we will respond positively and listen to the opinion. Once again, we will listen to the
opinion of the local population. This is the only position that an enterprise can take.
- And what about the sanitary zone?
- The sanitary zone for any object or quarry is 500 meters. But, in general, for quarries in the
first class of hazardousness the zone is 1000 meter or 1 kilometer? Yes, you are absolutely
correct. But, again, a clarification for you. According to the Construction Norms and Rules and
other norms, it is 1 kilometer. But, as a result of the fact that this quarry was developed between
in 1963-1974, the quarry's location cannot be territorially changed. And when we approved the
sanitary zone in Moscow, we carried out a special evaluation of this quarry's effect on the
nearby settlement. And, in the framework of this research, a zone of 500 meters was established
for us. Yes, today mining production is occurring. Yes, we are an environmental burden, but the
company pays a high price for this.
Once a quarter, the enterprise is required to spend money on an expert inspection: taking samples
of the air and water, measuring the noise. They are always within the normal range. But it is a
different question to what degree this research is objective and whether it is carried out at the
same time as the active work of the enterprise. As Karelkamen's management assures us, all the
evaluations were carried with total responsibility, first and for most, to the public. But why is this
very population unsatisfied all the same? Irina Semyonova, deputy of the Republic of Karelia
Legislative Assembly, has often heard complaints about the dust and noise coming from the
quarries located near settlements. During working visits to the locations, she became convinced
that these complaints are not groundless. The only solution, in her opinion, it to increase the
sanitary zone for the quarries.
Irina Semyonova, deputy of the Republic of Karelia Legislative Assembly: We have this
tendency to open quarries in close proximity to villages. But we live in another time, and
distance is no longer a problem. And we think that quarries should build roads. They are not so
impoverished. They should create a road to their workplace and install electricity so that their
work will not have any negative effect on the lives of the population and its health.
The people's discontent stems from this. They see that only the quarry is developing, and
Rybreka is standing still. Instead of a hospital, it has a medical assistant's station. The
kindergarten and school are located in one building. And the library, House of Culture, and local
administration are also all under one roof. The athletic field is the schoolyard stadium. And that's
all the public welfare they have.