The city of the Black Heaven

In Krasnoyarsk, on March 18, a rally "For the Clear Heaven" took place. Its organizers agreed in the city hall for a thousand participants, but about two thousand came. This activity is explained simply: ecology is a sick theme for the city. Experts today call Krasnoyarsk "environmental disaster."

In a recent ranking compiled by the All -Russian Environmental Organization "Green Patrol", Krasnoyarsk entered the twenty of the most dirty Russian cities in terms of emissions. The authors of the rating called Krasnoyarsk "the territory of environmental disaster" - such a characteristic was given to the only city in Russia. The reason is that in the line of Krasnoyarsk one of the world's largest aluminum plant (KrAZ) and other metallurgical production work. They are adjacent to the cement plant, three large thermal power plants belonging to the Siberian generating company (SGK), and numerous boiler rooms, large and smaller. All the heat in the city is coal. Plus morally and technically outdated transport park. “It is clear why the inhabitants of Krasnoyarsk are suffocating,” the rating compilers comment .

The word "suffocate" in this case is not a metaphor.

It is probably hard to imagine how to residents of other cities how it is - when in the summer it is impossible to open the window: the apartment is immediately a pungent smell, it is impossible to breathe

“It is probably difficult for residents of other cities to imagine how it is - when it is impossible to open the window in the summer: the apartment is immediately a pungent smell, it is impossible to breathe,” says Svetlana Batishcheva , a resident of Krasnoyarsk. - On the street - even more so. Krasnoyarsk people know that we have such days when we move around the city with short dumps so as not to breathe all sorts of nasty things. And last summer he could stand that it was not like breathing - it was impossible to see through him. But he himself is always well noticeable-already from the upper floors the border between the city smog and a more or less clear sky is clearly visible.

Recently, the Krasnoyarsk residents have gone in the compilation of various kinds of environmental petitions and appeals. One of the appeals was addressed Personally Putin. The petition collected about 80 thousand signatures, its authors even received a response from the presidential administration with a promise to consider the appeal. It was a few months ago. But at the meeting, during the arrival of Putin in Krasnoyarsk in March this year, the issues of ecology were not even discussed.

Ecology of Krasnoyarsk: Secret and obvious

In the state report of the regional Ministry of Natural Resources on the state of the environment in the Krasnoyarsk Territory for 2015 (according to 2016, the data will be ready by summer) the main pollutants in the atmospheric air of the city are listed. These are benzapyrene, formaldehyde, phenol, ethylbenzole, suspended substances, dioxide and nitrogen oxide. According to the document, their content in the air in 2015 exceeded the standards by many times. So, according to benzapirene (and this carcinogenic substance is formed primarily from coal burning), the norm was recorded 18.5 times, and its average annual concentration was 3.7 times more than the due.

In total, the report says, the volume of gross emissions in Krasnoyarsk in 2015 amounted to 195 thousand tons. Including from transport - more than 66 thousand tons and almost 129 thousand tons - from enterprises. At the same time, KrAZ accounts for 60 and a half thousand tons of emissions, and coal burning is over 57 thousand tons. The level of air pollution in Krasnoyarsk in the report is characterized as very high. But, as it turns out, not everything is reflected in this document.

“In fact, the total volumes of emissions in Krasnoyarsk can be multiplied by two,” says Radio Liberty Sergey Shakhomatov , chairman of the Krasnoyarsk branch of the Green Ecological Party, a former deputy minister of natural resources of the region. - The raids we conducted, including monitoring with the help of drones, showed that the city has at least 2000 unaccounted emissions. These are small boiler houses, tire fitting, small asphalt concrete plants ... And if the work of large factories is still somehow controlled in terms of ecology, then these work uncontrollably, most often and without permission. According to our estimates, the real volumes of emissions in Krasnoyarsk are not 195 thousand tons, but about 350 thousand. But this is not reflected anywhere.

By the way, raids brought a lot of discoveries "green". For example, when in August-September 2016 there was a dense smog over Krasnoyarsk, which was “attributed” to forest fires, and the townspeople suffocated and had a massively hurt, the drone recorded numerous agriculturalproofs around Krasnoyarsk-and the smoke that covered the city was mainly from them. Reactions from the authorities are zero.

“Poured oils into the fire” (and almost literally) and numerous asphalt plants. The smoke from them with a pillar, says Shakhletov, while after the arrival of public activists, all workers run up, the asphalt continues to cook, smoke is lying, the police come in two hours, but there is no one to figure it out: people failed through the ground. Such factories worked in Krasnoyarsk all summer. But officially they were not. How - formally - and emissions from them.

Sergey Shakhmatov explains: each city has its own TOPV - maximum permissible emissions. They are calculated based on the area of the settlement and the number of its inhabitants, take into account all sources of pollution. In fact, those volumes of emissions that should not harm human health are established. Accordingly, each enterprise as a result receives quotas for them.

It is difficult for me to say why local authorities and supervisory authorities show such passivity in this matter. Perhaps because enhanced environmental control will violate the interests of promiloons working in the region

“But since thousands of sources of pollution are not taken into account in Krasnoyarsk, invalid information is reflected in his volume, and large industrial enterprises pollute the air more than this is acceptable,” says Shakh simatov . - It is difficult for me to say why local authorities and supervisory authorities show such passivity in this matter. Perhaps because enhanced environmental control will violate the interests of promiloons working in the region. But here it is necessary to determine - either these interests, or the interests of society. We write letters in all instances in packs, we attach photos and videos from our raids. The reaction is disproportionate. In other regions, as far as I know, enterprises that were convicted of illegal emissions are closed. After our appeals, 22 asphalt concrete plants were checked in Krasnoyarsk, a result of 200 thousand rubles of a fine for all. They continue to work.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that Russian standards for permissible emissions are far from those adopted by the World Health Organization. That is, in Russia they themselves are higher, but the Krasnoyarsk enterprises violate them.

“The MPC now established (maximum permissible concentrations on harmful substances) do not meet WHO requirements (World Health Organization. - RS) ,” says Sergey Mikhaylyut , an employee of the Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology SB RAS. - According to formaldehyde, we raised the MPC three times - and it seems that it was three times cleaner in Krasnoyarsk. The same for other carcinogenic substances. Our standards for them are many times higher than the European level.

Go around the regime

This whole table of Mendeleev periodically hovered over the Krasnoyarsk dense cloud-this is the features of the relief (the city is surrounded by mountains), evaporation from the Yenisei non-freezing in winter (there is no ice station on it after the construction of the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station) and stupid development-the city is actually not blown out of it. When a complete calm occurs, the authorities enter the “Black Heaven” mode after the appropriate warning of meteorologists - or, officially, adverse weather conditions (NMU).

- According to the standards, the NMU regime cannot continue in the village longer than 2 percent of the duration of the calendar year, that is, 7 days in total. In Krasnoyarsk in 2016, the Black Heaven regime operated 58 days - 14 percent of the duration of the year. And in the first two months of this-already 20, ”said Radio Freedom Andrei Skrogorodnikov-Erlich , organizer of the rally“ For Clear Sky ”.

In theory, the NMU mode is introduced precisely in order for enterprises to reduce emissions-depending on the degree of danger of the situation by 15-60 percent, and in particularly difficult cases stopped them at all. However, the checks carried out during the Black Heaven regime of the Krasnoyarsk environmental prosecutor’s office showed : factories and boiler houses are ignored. At the non -compliance of the NMU regime only in February this year, "Krasnoyarsk metallurgical and electric repair plants," Kramzenergo ", a radio factory, as well as 15 small enterprises from among those that chess mentioned.

At the same time, you can’t catch violators so simply. Environmental monitoring systems currently, most of them can report the pollution of the post -fact of air, but who exactly went through the emissions - most often does not.

In 2013, Krasnoyarsk bought a mobile ecological laboratory for 5 million rubles. Since then, this laboratory has been in the garage, and the city and land cannot divide it and decide, who should be on the balance sheet

- In 2013, Krasnoyarsk bought a mobile ecological laboratory for five million rubles. It was just to quickly record the excess of emissions from specific sources and in real time to inform about them, ”says Alexander Kolotov, chairman of the public environmental chamber of Krasnoyarsk. - Since then, this laboratory has been in the garage, and the city and land cannot divide it and decide who should be on the balance sheet. Disputes about who needs it and who can use it more efficiently, go at different levels, the solutions are changing, but the result is one: the laboratory is inactive. In February of this year, it was finally handed over to the regional Ministry of Natural Resources, but it turned out that the same five million were allocated only to buy a laboratory, but there is no longer money for its certification and operation. As for the sensors, which are installed at the enterprises themselves and online transmit data on emissions online, only Krastztetmet, and no one else has it.

Large enterprises of Krasnoyarsk regularly report on environmental measures and a decrease in emissions. The regional authorities also report the same. Just a few hours before the rally, information about the negotiations appeared on the website of the regional government that Governor Viktor Tolokonsky spent with the leaders of Rusal and SGK. The companies announced the costs of the environment in 2017 in the amount of 1.13 billion and 110.12 million rubles, respectively, and promised Krasnoyarsk residents to reduce emissions by a quarter.

This was also said by the "main in ecology" KrAZ and SGK on a recent round table "What Krasnoyarsk breathes: problems of atmospheric air quality control."

“The companies managed to significantly reduce emissions for all its TPPs over ten years, now the total PDV standards have been set at 54 thousand tons,” said Konstantin Kushnir , deputy technical director for environmental protection SGK. - The treatment equipment that is installed on thermal power plants works as efficiently as possible. I believe that the company has found a balance between economic expediency and environmental efficiency. Now, in the year of ecology, we continue to work to reduce emissions.

And Alexander Belyanin, the director for ecology, labor protection and promotion of KrAZ, at the same round table spoke about the "clean" technologies of aluminum production, thanks to which the plant reduced 4.6 percent emissions into the atmosphere over the past year.

At the same time, Alexander Belyanin could not answer the question of how exactly KrAZ reduced emissions in the regime of NMU of the first and second degrees of danger. As for the SGK, just the other day the environmental prosecutor's office fined the Krasnoyarsk TPP-1 for excess of standards for harmful emissions at its various sources 9.3-15.8 times. At the same time, the indicators of the work of dust equipment at the station were, contrary to the words of Mr. Kushnir, 12.2 percent lower than required.

"All requirements are fulfilling"

All this made people go to the rally "For Clear Sky."

-In our city there are several environmental movements, and I was waiting for one of them to organize an appropriate action. Be sure to go to her, ”says one of the participants in the action Andrei Skrogorodnikov-Erlich . “But this never happened.” Therefore, when the “Black Heaven” mode was once again announced in Krasnoyarsk, and all the enterprises once again reported, how well we are fine, I decided: what am I waiting for?

The preparation of the rally took about a month. Activists with the help of experts - scientists, ecologists, doctors, economists - drew up a resolution that will be sent to the city, regional and federal authorities and to the supervisory authorities. Among the requirements-to transfer heat production in Krasnoyarsk to natural gas-environmentally friendly fuel, to install normal gas treatment equipment and sensors that fix the level and nature of emissions at all enterprises of the city, tighten sanctions for reference factories, up to their closure.

Another requirement is to prohibit the so -called temporarily agreed quotas for emissions.

- These quotas - higher than Russian legislation allowed - temporarily installed 30 years ago, taking into account the then technical capabilities of enterprises and the economic situation. Now, these quotas are operating KrAZ and a cement plant, ”says Radio Liberty, co -organizer of the rally Evgeny Khodos , the head of the Ecological Organization" Clean Territory ". - But, as you know, there is nothing more constant than temporary. Now it's time to bring standards for emissions in line with the law. That is, enterprises will have to reduce them by 25-30 percent compared to the current level. As for KrAZ, we also propose in stages to transfer its capacities beyond the city, and on those that remain, to reduce the emissions half.

Activists are required and publishing complete and reliable information on the influence of ecology on the health of Krasnoyarsk.

People should know about what they can get sick if they live next to one or another enterprise, breathe a particular substance

- A year ago, I requested this statistics in Krazdrava. The answer that came from there showed that such statistics are either not conducted or silent. The last publication of data on the influence of ecology on the health of residents of Krasnoyarsk dates back to the 1980s, ”says Evgeny Khodos. - But people should know what they can get sick if they live next to one or another enterprise, breathe a particular substance. If such studies appear and receive publicity, this, I think, will be a point of no return.

Now doctors can only state the growth of the incidence of those diseases that are commonly called environmentally conditioned. But no one can say about their direct connection with emissions.

- In Krasnoyarsk, is 14 percent higher than the average in Russia, the incidence of cancer. Over the past ten years in the region, the number of respiratory diseases has increased 2.5 times, by 39 percent of blood diseases and hematopoietic organs. The number of mental deviations has also increased-and this is also a consequence of poor ecology, ” Irina Golovina, a psychotherapist with 30 years of experience, said at a rally. - We need to talk about it. Now there is all the possibilities to change the situation, only, apparently, there is no desire. But if Mr. Melnichenko ( Andrei Melnichenko , the owner of the SGK. - RS) can afford to buy a yacht that costs 25 billion rubles - and this is the annual budget of Krasnoyarsk for a second - the company will probably have money to put its equipment in order.

The organizers of the rally are sure that all the requirements they have stated are absolutely realistic.

“We discussed these measures in detail with the experts,” says Evgeny Khodos . - They confirmed: all the events that we propose to hold until 2022 are quite real, embodiments, both in financial and technical and organizational terms.

A few years ago, due to their activity, the Krasnoyarsk residents managed to prevent the construction in the city of Ferroalloy Plant. People hope that they will listen to them this time.

It seems that this is already happening. Literally in the last couple of days before the rally, the regional Ministry of Natural Resources managed to expand the list of enterprises that must be reduced by emissions during the NMU, and finally the beginning of registration of the very "nonexistent" objects that Sergey Shakhudov spoke about. The negotiations of Tolokonsky with Rusal and SGK have already been said above.

But for the past rally, representatives of the city hall, regional government, industrial enterprises still did not come, although the organizers invited everyone.