"Top Secret": Mongolia threatens Baikal

The largest tributary of Baikal, the Selenga River, and the authorities of Mongolia intend to be blocked by dams, at least three hydroelectric power stations. However, the national idea of ​​a neighboring state for Buryatia and the Angara region means eco-catastrophe, environmentalists are convinced.

According to their calculations, a few years after the construction of the hydroelectric power station, Lake Baikal will finally shallow. The correspondent "Top Secret" found out what development options both regions await after the construction of their own hydroelectric power stations in Mongolia.

For the first time, Mongolia announced her plans to receive energy at their own hydraulic facilities 4 years ago. Then the World Bank supported the Minis project in the Selenga basin, in which the construction was announced, at least two hydroelectric power stations on the Selenga and on the Orkhon River, its large tributary. Two years ago, the country in the neighborhood had another project to launch hydroelectric power stations on the Egine River.

“At the same time, Mongolia did not say a word about this to Russia, although the agreement on this between our countries was signed in the early 2000s. We expected that negotiations at the level of the heads of countries may not lead to the desired result, and two months ago, on behalf of the inhabitants of Buryatia, they complained to the World Bank, ”Alexander Kolotov explained the“ river without borders ”from Russia. “We are not against our own generation of electric power and water supply to the neighbor, but there are alternatives that do not threaten both sides.”

According to activists, since last fall in Mongolia a campaign began on the propaganda of the construction of hydroelectric power plants and parallel to persecution of “non -poatriots” opposing the national idea. So, this spring, Evgeny Simonova, the head of the “river without borders”, was deported from Mongolia, depriving an activist of the right to visit the country for 10 years.

The construction of the hydroelectric power station has not yet started, and there is no longer enough water in Baikal, the environmentalists surveyed are complained by the “top secret”.

“The last few years have been extremely low -water. The water level in Lake Baikal fell below the critical mark. The channel of many Baikal rivers dried out, the hydrologist Irina Semcheva is concerned. - We recently drove through the Baikal villages of Buryatia living from Lake Baikal. So - there are no fish, even the water from the wells leaves. In one village, the yarn of the selenes completely dried up, and after all, a couple of years ago boats and boats could move along it. In another village, the water of the lake has gone so much that boats,

Once

Mounted to the shore, grown into the ground. "

Ecologists explain that the current low water in Lake Baikal is, of course, temporary, but are not sure that its seasonality is preserved in the case of the construction of hydroelectric power stations.

“Low Water in Lake Baikal

some day

It will end while this phenomenon is seasonal. But if Mongolia will build a station on the selenga, supplies to Baikal to half of all the water, there will be no fish left in a number of fishing villages, and some of the villages with full -flowing rivers will be left without them,

somewhere

And the wells will have to dig up again, - the ecologist, candidate of biological sciences Igor Melnichenko is convinced. - After all, during the construction of hydroelectric power station, the completely water regime on Lake Baikal and the rivers associated with it will change. Now we regulate the water level in the lake, and if Mongolia joins? So, the whole cascade of our hydroelectric stations will depend on a neighboring country! Why do our federal departments and energy are not alarming and prevent this idea? ”

Hydrologues add that there is another project to generate energy in Mongolia - a plan to create solar power plants in the Gobi desert. In this case, the generation can reach Gigovatt Electricity, but Mongolia

For some reason

intends to build exclusively hydroelectric power plants.

“The Inspectorate of the World Bank has already assessed the situation in Buryatia, in May experts went to Mongolia, where the project was recognized as environmentally not very safe,” Semcheva summarizes. - Does this mean that he will be “frozen”? Not at all. But in this situation, it will be extremely difficult for the country to find international investments for the construction of the hydroelectric power station. ”

Maria Chernova/"Top Secret", June 2, 2016