Unfortunately, the unique Lake Baikal was also affected by environmental problems. One of them is related to the work of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, located in the Slyudyansky district. This is the territory of the Irkutsk region.
Today, many people understand that it was a mistake to build such an enterprise on the lake. Government measures have been developed to eliminate the environmental damage caused to nature by the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. Company address: Baikalsk, Industrial site, Center.
How the enterprise was created
The plant began to function in 1966. The industrial zone is located on an area of 750 hectares, 150 km from Irkutsk and 1.5 km east of Baikalsk. During the years the company was founded, the defense industry needed high-quality cord pulp. The technology of this production involved the expenditure of impressive volumes of exceptionally clean water. This fact explains the choice of location for the construction of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill.
For production, the latest equipment at that time and advanced plants for the treatment of used water were used. Against the background of constant monitoring by public and environmental authorities, water treatment facilities have been steadily improved, research institutes have developed new production technologies, sludge treatment systems, and wastewater treatment. However, the environmental situation was deteriorating. In 2013, the pulp and paper mill near Baikalsk was closed forever.
City Baikalsk
This settlement arose at the pulp mill. The pulp and paper mill infrastructure from the very beginning turned out to be closely connected with the municipal economy of Baikalsk. Depended on the work of the enterprise:
- Budgeting the city.
- Providing residents with heat and electricity.
- Hot and cold water supply.
- Socio-economic growth.
The population in Baikalsk reached 16 thousand people. 4,130 of them were people of working age, 1,665 were employed at the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill. The products were different. These are wrapping paper, pulp and related products. Priority bleached pulp was used in the defense industry for the manufacture of Bulava and Topol missiles.
Problems closing the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill
After the cessation of the plant’s work, the problems not only didn’t go anywhere, but also became aggravated in many ways:
- When the city-forming enterprise was closed, many were left without work, the infrastructure of Baikalsk suffered, social issues worsened.
- Card pools (pulp and paper mills of the pulp and paper mill), the total volume of which is 8 million m 3, have not disappeared. Disposal requires special technology. Money was allocated for this, the deadlines had long expired, but the necessary method was not found for several years.
- The geological threat is constantly hanging due to the debris flowing off the Khamar-Daban ridge and the seismic hazard of this zone.
- Social and environmental problems can arise among the population, because the storage facilities are located just 200 meters from residential buildings and 400 meters from the shore of Lake Baikal.
Dangerous legacy
The Ministry of Nature and Ecology of the Irkutsk Region on the eve of 2018 issued an order to begin remediation work at the pulp and paper mill. Rosgeology JSC undertook to fulfill the terms of the contract. The main part of the work, estimated at six billion rubles, is the destruction of lignin sludge with a total mass of 6500 thousand tons. These are residues of industrial raw materials harmful to nature that have accumulated in the water treatment plants of the plant. They contain lignin components (up to 53%), alumina (from 16 to 24.9%), and the remaining 10% are cellulose fibers and polyacrylamides.
Previous attempts to dispose of this waste were unsuccessful. In the storage cards 30 years ago, anaerobic decomposition began to occur, gases formed. The technology of drying and burning waste did not take root, since toxic substances were released during combustion.
Prevent mudflow
According to scientists, the accumulated waste can end up in Baikal without waiting for disposal. If mudflow flows from the Khamar-Daban massif, the elements will simply wash away millions of tons of sludge directly into the lake. This is warned by limnologists of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Listvyanka).
Debris flows in the southern Baikal region occur every 4 decades. In Baikalsk, it was 71 years old. Mudflow materials have accumulated since then, and trees and shrubs have grown along riverbeds. At the first powerful downpour, mudflow is possible, which will demolish the forest, and everything in its path.
In order to prevent environmental disaster, a plan has been developed to create structures protecting against mudflows along the Malaya and Bolshaya Osinovka rivers. They will be installed near the Slyudyansky district center of the Irkutsk region. This construction is very expensive for the regional budget, but necessary.
How are things today
As of March 2019, at the former Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, pilot tests are underway to create a technology for the rehabilitation of the pulp and paper mill pulp mill. JSC "Rosgeologiya" suggests that in the future the territory will be operated only for its restoration. The active phase of the elimination is scheduled for June this year.
According to the assessment of the general director of AO Roman Panov, the design and preparatory phase will be completed in May, and the work on waste disposal will be completed in 2 years. In 2021, the question will be settled. In 2013, after the closure of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill, an order was issued by the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation on the establishment of the Russian Nature Reserves expocenter on the territory of the pulp and paper mill. The proximity of the spurs of the Khamar-Daban ridge makes mountain and hiking possible.
On the outskirts of Baikalsk, the Sobolinaya Gora ski resort operates, and long-distance excursions to the biosphere reserve, to the Warm Lakes and other objects are organized. The city has a modern infrastructure. Here are excellent opportunities for the development of small and medium-sized businesses.
Environmentalists believe that with the elimination of traces of the pulp and paper mill on the shore of Lake Baikal, the problems of the unique lake will not disappear. Flora and fauna are threatened by blue-green algae and tons of garbage remaining after the rest of irresponsible tourists. But the defenders of Lake Baikal are confident that all problems can be solved if we take a responsible approach to the protection of natural resources.