Russian environmentalists warn that the oldest and deepest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Baikal, is turning into a swamp. It is said that tons of liquid waste from tourist camps and water vehicles are dumped into a lake protected by UNESCO.
One of the natural wonders and the pearl of Siberia in Russia, Lake Baikal has recently become a source of disturbing news due to an increase in the number of alien aquatic plants formed in the lake that cause it to be sick, ecologists of the city of Irkutsk say recently.
A recent scientific expedition discovered that every year 160 tons of liquid waste is produced every year in the Chikirkuy Bay of Baikal, said the head of the Ecological Wave of Baikal, one of the first environmental NGOs in Russia, informs the SIA information center.
Locals complained to environmentalists that waste easily flocked to the lake, reports SIA. A growing number of tourist camps in the area are reluctant to contribute to pollution. The report states that the camps are moving to waste in special organizations, but utilizing vehicles often do not reach the facilities, but instead send waste to Baikal or rivers that flow into the lake.
In addition, water transport is a major contributing factor to lake pollution. According to the head of the Baikal ecological wave, ships, boats, yachts and other vessels annually produce 25,000 tons of liquid waste, but only 1,600 of them end up in proper disposal sites.
Waste dumped into the lake caused the growth of aquatic plants such as Spirogyra and Elodea Canadensis, which had never been grown there before.
According to the report, the researchers found a significant accumulation of aquatic plants and dead lake mollusks on the northern coast of Lake Baikal. They followed the coastline from the mouth of the Tia River to Senogda Bay, finding rumbling water plants on the coast. An increased level of pollution was found in Listvenichesky Bay.
In an effort to prevent waterlogging, environmentalists propose to equip garbage trucks with satellite monitoring devices to accurately track the delivery of waste. In addition, new technologies and educational programs should be introduced to reduce waste production, the Baikal Ecological Wave notes. Environmentalists also offered to support the initiatives of the residents, as well as local environmental projects.
New problems come after the battle for almost two decades to close a major lake polluter - the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. In December 2013, it was finally closed after 47 years of discharge of wastewater to the site.
Meanwhile, last week the Russian authorities held talks in Irkutsk on improving the legislation on the protection of water resources, using the example of Baikal.
The closure of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill affected the region's economy, with almost 2,000 people unemployed, said Oleg Kravchuk, Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Irkutsk Region, at the meeting. The mill was the only major employer in the city and accounted for 80 percent of its income. Locals hold protests to draw attention to their economic problems.
