The Volga is the largest waterway in Europe and the European part of the Russian Federation. For a long time, it serves as a road, a source for irrigating fields, and as a nurse. With the development of technological progress, the Volga waters have found application in the production of goods and electricity.
Shipping
Vessels began to walk along the river not so long ago - after the implementation of the idea of the Big Volga project. A very large-scale project became the basis for how people influence the Volga River. It was held from 1932 to 1981 and consisted of the construction of hydraulic structures and reservoirs, as well as the deepening of the channel. Work was done to link the Volga with the rivers of the European part of Russian territory. The river appeared access to the northern and southern seas.
Today, the Volga is an important transport and passenger system in Russia. Over 50% of the country's river transport is carried out on it. In addition, the river is a tourist attraction, it has about 125 tourist lines. Cruise along the Volga is a very informative and enjoyable vacation that allows you to see many Russian cities.
The importance of the river in industry
The river has 11 hydropower plants with an approximate total capacity of 32 billion kW / h. Generating energy at hydroelectric power stations costs 5 times less than at thermal power plants, so a cascade of 11 hydroelectric power plants saves the country a significant tonnage of coal.
The use of the Volga River by man is carried out by the construction on its banks of numerous enterprises for which water is needed. Therefore, the following industries were built:
- Chemical.
- Mining.
- Engineering.
The basin of the Upper Volga is decorated with forest plantations, and the Middle and Lower Volga are occupied by fields with technical, grain, melon and garden crops. Hydro facilities and reservoirs on the river also serve to irrigate the arid soil of the fields of the indicated area.
Riches of the river
The Volga has always been very rich in fish, but the amount of fish wealth has decreased by about 10 times. Now the river is fishing on an industrial scale. This fact is a clear demonstration of how people influence the Volga River.
About 70 species of fish inhabit the Volga. You can name the main ones:
- Vobla.
- Sterlet.
- Herring.
- Sturgeon.
- Bream.
- Pike.
- Zander.
- Carp.
The territory near the Volga contains minerals. In the Volga-Ural region, gas and oil are produced. Near Solikamsk - potassium salts. But the Lower Volga region is an area rich in salt.
The location of a large number of small settlements, as well as 4 millionaire cities, eloquently testifies to how people influence the Volga River. Therefore, the negative impact on the living world of the river of the anthropogenic factor is important . Namely, a third of the wastewater of the European part of the Russian territory is in the river. Only 8% of them are fully cleaned.
With all this, it does not remain in its pristine state, since people influence the Volga River. Unfortunately, to notice that such an effect is positive is simply impossible. In any case, you should try to limit the purely consumer attitude to nature and appreciate the wealth that it gives to man.