Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko chaired a meeting of the interagency working group on organising efforts to eliminate accumulated environmental damage resulting from the operations of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill OJSC.
At Victoria Abramchenko’s instruction, a headquarters was established at the site to coordinate and carry out priority measures, as well as to manage the elimination of accumulated environmental damage. Work is also underway to establish a unified system for monitoring the progress of the remediation measures.
The working group meeting was attended by Irkutsk Region Governor Igor Kobzev; representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Rosprirodnadzor, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance, Rospotrebnadzor, Rosreestr, the state corporation «Rosatom», the Russian Academy of Sciences and «VEB.RF».
«As part of the national project «Ecology», measures are being implemented to eliminate accumulated environmental damage. This is a clear example of the country’s «general clean-up», which was supported by the President. The remediation of abandoned industrial sites that have a negative impact on public health and the environment is one of the key objectives of the national project. Priority measures are currently underway to prevent the risk of deterioration of the environmental situation,» Victoria Abramchenko said.
As the Deputy Prime Minister noted, one of the key tasks at this stage is to lower and treat the supernatant water in the storage cells at the Solzansky and Babkhinsky landfill sites in order to prevent the risk of overflow of the storage cells, damage to the dams of the hydraulic structures and a sudden discharge of pollutants into Lake Baikal.
Victoria Abramchenko reported that the Federal Environmental Operator had completed the construction of local wastewater treatment facilities, including connections to linear utility systems. Rosprirodnadzor assessed the treatment level of the supernatant water at the facilities and confirmed that the required performance indicators had been achieved. Before being sent to the municipal sewage system, the supernatant water undergoes a high degree of treatment using three-stage reverse osmosis technology.
In addition, the management organisation and the Federal Environmental Operator jointly conducted an inspection of the storage cells. According to the specialists’ findings, the utility infrastructure is in good working order.
Background information.
The Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM) operated from 1966 to 2013. The city of Baikalsk was built at the same time as the mill on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, 147 km from Irkutsk. The greatest environmental risks to Lake Baikal are posed by waste storage cells filled with sludge lignin, ash and slag, municipal waste, and industrial wastewater treatment facilities.
Under the supervision of Rosprirodnadzor and with scientific support from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the best technological solutions for neutralising waste generated by the BPPM’s operations are being selected. The landfill cells contain a heterogeneous mixture of waste of various types, generated during pulp production, the operation of the thermal power plant and other industrial activities. There are no universal technological solutions for dealing with this waste; however, local solutions exist for each waste group and are proposed for consideration as an integrated set.
This year, design documentation for the remediation of the OJSC «BPPM» site will be developed. It will undergo public consultation and all environmental assessments required by law.
According to information from the Government of Russia: http://government.ru
