Smog from burning peat bogs hung over Moscow. Forest fires are approaching the capital: according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, over the past 24 hours alone, 63 fires have broken out in the Moscow region. People wearing masks have returned to the streets of Moscow again.

Ministry of Emergency Situations data

As the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations told RBC, over the past 24 hours, 63 natural fires broke out in the Moscow region on a total area of almost 59 hectares, of which 34 peat fires on an area of 23 hectares, and 29 forest fires on an area of 35 hectares. The department noted that since the beginning of the fire danger period, a total of 1,488 natural fires have occurred on an area of 1,350 hectares, of which 963 are forest fires and 525 are peat fires. Over the past 24 hours, EMERCOM employees have also eliminated 72 fires of dry grass.

Yesterday, the governor of the Moscow region, Boris Gromov, reported that about 50 fires a day occur in the Moscow region, 30 of which are peat fires. During a trip to the Yegoryevsky and Shaturovo districts, he said that in order to prevent fires, it is necessary to water the peat mines abandoned by the owners. At the same time, the governor noted that the watering procedure would require huge material costs. B. Gromov said that more than 4.5 billion rubles will be required for the Shaturovo district alone. In total, according to B. Gromov, more than 20 billion rubles will be required to extinguish fires in the Moscow region.

Ecology

According to Moekomonitoring, an extremely unfavorable environmental situation remains in the capital. Compared to the night period of the previous day, the average level of harmful substances increased by 1.5 times. Average daily concentrations of suspended particles exceed the standard by 3 times (peak values lasting about an hour and a half exceeded the typical values for the capital by more than 10 times).

In addition, ecologists note increased concentrations of not only combustion products, but also other pollutants typical of urban sources. In particular, the station in Maryino recorded short-term excesses of hydrogen sulfide by 10-20%. However, the dynamics of pollution remain unchanged, and in the afternoon Moscow residents will breathe more freely. The day before, the situation improved after 12 noon, while by 16-17 hours the concentrations of carbon monoxide decreased by 2-2.5 times, hydrocarbons by 4 times, suspended particles by 6 times.

Experts warn that the air pollution picture will not undergo significant changes in the next 24 hours. There will still be a burning smell in the air at night and in the morning, and improvements will be observed in the afternoon.

Medical advice for surviving in the city

Resuscitator from the Mobile Doctor company Alexey Saprykin believes that in connection with the smog hanging over the Moscow region, doctors recommend that people on the street take physical protection measures: wear wet gauze bandages, respirators, and for those who are at home , it is necessary to hang wet gauze curtains, folded in several layers, on the windows. In addition, the specialist recommends rinsing your nose and gargling with plain water more often.

At the same time, according to him, people suffering from diseases of the upper respiratory tract, lungs and cardiovascular system should also limit physical activity. The specialist notes that a combination of factors such as heat and smog can cause a significant deterioration in well-being even in healthy people. And for people suffering from chronic diseases, the likelihood of a deterioration in their health increases many times over. At the first sign of illness, they need to immediately contact a specialist.

Meanwhile, the chief sanitary doctor of Russia, Gennady Onishchenko, also expressed his point of view on the situation with the smog from peat fires that covered Moscow. According to him, he does not consider the situation critical. Rospotrebnadzor did not confirm the information about the allegedly tenfold excess of the permissible content of pollutants in the capital's air. However, G. Onishchenko called on employers to allow employees not to go to work because of the smog.

Some employers have already followed the advice of the chief sanitary doctor of Russia. Thus, as the Trud newspaper writes, in one of the Moscow furniture sales companies the staff were simply sent home. “Everyone has a headache. We have a female team, our health is not very good. We just had to send the team home,” said the deputy director of the company. “When one of the employees became ill, I decided to send everyone on vacation,” says the owner of the studio, whose office is a basement without air conditioning.

Forecasts

Unfortunately, the forecasts for peat fires are unfavorable, because... The abnormal heat in the Moscow region continues unabated. So, today Moscow is expecting new temperature records. It is expected that the previous record – July 26, 2010 – will be broken. the air warmed up to 37.2 degrees. Forecasters suggest that the thermometer may stop at around +38 degrees. The hot weather will continue into the weekend.

According to the head of the forestry program of Greenpeace Russia, Alexey Yaroshenko, the smoke in the city could last until October. “The unfavorable environmental situation in Moscow is unlikely to change in the next 2-2.5 months. Peatlands are burning in all regions surrounding the city, and even a change in wind direction will not be able to improve this situation,” he said.

History of peat fires in the Moscow region

The most severe fires in the Moscow region occurred in the summer of 1972 and 2002, when almost all peat bogs in the north and east of the region burned. In this regard, the capital itself was shrouded in an almost impenetrable suffocating smog. Children, asthmatics and heart patients suffered from heavy smoke.

In 1972 Against the backdrop of drought, peat and forest fires engulfed large areas of forests. The scale of the fires, the inaccessibility and distance from water sources, as well as the lack of people did not allow firefighters to cope with the disaster using traditional methods. Under these conditions, it was decided to involve the military in extinguishing fires in the Moscow region.

At the first stage, the military only managed to localize the fires using equipment and explosives. Subsequently, the pipeline detachments of the construction troops of the Ministry of Defense were involved in extinguishing the fires, the main task of which was to deploy pipeline lines as soon as possible and pump water to the combustion sites with the maximum possible supply.

It is worth noting that the problem of peat fires in the Moscow region first appeared in 1972. According to experts, this is the fault of those who did not reclaim peat deposits during Soviet times. Previously, in place of burning peat bogs there were vast swamps. In the 1920s they were drained and peat extraction began. After development, some peat remained in the drained areas, creating a “powder keg” effect.

In 2002 the situation thirty years ago was repeated. This year has become the driest for Moscow and the Moscow region over the past 100 years. The drought has led to the fact that most reservoirs have simply dried up, and firefighters have to transport water tens of kilometers from the fire. During August-September, there was thick smog in the capital, which led to traffic disruptions and an increase in the concentration of pollutants in the air - a thick haze shrouded the capital.

Thus, in September, the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air of the capital exceeded the maximum permissible norm by 2.33 times. During the summer, 200 fires were recorded on a total area of about 1 thousand hectares. Damage from forest and peat fires in the Moscow region in 2002, according to preliminary estimates, amounted to more than 190 million rubles.

According to Igor Chestin, director of the Russian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 90% of all forest fires are caused by people leaving unextinguished fires and cigarette butts in the forest.

Moscow is in smoke: peat fires are approaching the city (PHOTO)