Criminal stupidity

The Russian authorities downplay the scale of forest fires four times, ecologists say

According to official figures , the area of forest and natural fires in Russia today is a little more than a million hectares. According to Greenpeace experts, fires affected at least four and a half million hectares of forest areas. The most difficult situation is in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Irkutsk Region and Buryatia. According to ecologists, state bodies deliberately distort fire statistics to demonstrate that the situation is under control.

On July 1, in the Irkutsk region, during the extinguishing of fires, the Il-76 EMERCOM aircraft disappeared , on board of which there were ten rescuers. Later, the wreckage of the aircraft was discovered 4 km from the village of Rybnoy Uyan, all people who were on board died. As the main versions of the causes of the crash, investigators consider the refusal of technology, pilots error and the influence of weather conditions. Earlier, when extinguishing a fire in Kamchatka, an employee of the forest guard died .

Local volunteers are actively involved in extinguishing fires.

The next peak of forest fires in Russia is predicted in a few weeks, in August. About this Radio Liberty was told by the head of the Greenpeace Russia forest project Alexei Yaroshenko:

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Alexey Yaroshenko

-Everything develops more or less traditionally. They lie about the scale, as always, more than in the past and the year before last, and about the same as they lied three to four years ago. The Angarsky and Baikal regions are the most now burning, that is, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the Irkutsk Region, Buryatia. In the spring, Buryatia, Amur Region, the Trans -Baikal Territory burned very much. So everything develops with fires as always. According to our assessment, the area of forests affected by fires is more than 4.5 million hectares, according to official figures - a little more than a million. That is, a difference of more than four times, which, in general, is quite a traditional situation.

- In the Irkutsk region a week ago the aircraft of the Russian Emergencies Ministry crashed, which extinguished the fire there. People died. This, of course, is a tragedy. And why did this incident occur, whose fault? Or was it just an accident, as you think?

IL-76, crashed in the Irkutsk region

- Of course, this was an accident, but the crew of the aircraft worked at an extreme risk zone, which could not be justified. Of course, this must be found out, but I'm sure that the wine lies with the leadership of the Ministry of Emergencies. Because sending a plane to extinguish fires in such conditions is just a criminal stupidity. The village of Wyan is at an altitude of slightly more than 800 meters above sea level, and the highest hills around had a height, well, at 1200 meters above the sea, and all this was in smoke. The aircraft had to fly in conditions of almost zero visibility.

What happened is directly prohibited by the rules for extinguishing forest fires, which specially act in the country. Aviation extinguishing should be in direct connection with the head of ground work. If there is no such connection, then it should not be produced. And here, judging by the way the department reports about this tragedy that the plane disappeared, only when he did not get in touch with those who directed the flight. That is, it is obvious that there was no direct connection with mobile groups. And in fact, this is ineffective work, because the only role of tankers aircraft is the help of ground groups, and this is an additional unjustified risk. And so we got what we got.

- How do the Greenpeace volunteers help in extinguishing fires now? Where and how does this happen?

In the Leningrad Region, the Ministry of Emergencies refuses to extinguish two peat fires

- We now end in a large fireman volunteer camp on Ladoga, where representatives of various volunteer groups gathered, this is the largest practical, educational event for Russian volunteers. Prior to this, our main work was associated with the search, identification and extinguishing of peat fires, as the most dangerous for nature and people. Here I have to note positive changes. You know that for many years we were fought for the authorities to extinguish peat fires, and now there are clear changes in the Central Federal District. This is the first year since 2009, when the middle strip of Russia has met summer without famous acting peat fires. All the fires that were found in the middle lane were extinguished. Another situation in the Leningrad region. There, two peat fires found, the Ministry of Emergencies still refuses to extinguish under a variety of pretexts. Another situation in the Vologda region, where they work, in general, is normal, but now the emergency mode is in connection with peat fires near Vologda. But there is simply an objectively very difficult situation. In general, with peat bogs, except for the Leningrad Region, the situation has changed for the better.

- If at the beginning of spring, in the spring, the main reason for natural forest fires was the grass of grass, now, in the midst of summer, which is the main cause of forest fires?

Forest fires in the Krasnoyarsk Territory

-Firstly, we have a lot of fires that operate now have been acting since spring. Those large fires where the crashed plane worked operated in mid -May. The exact reason is unknown, but with a high probability it was the same spring fires. Thunderstorms are added to a small share, but this is not a very large share, maybe 10 percent of all fires, no more.

- And what are your forecasts for the future summer?

The next peak of fires traditionally falls on the first decade and mid -August

- It is very difficult to predict so far, because before such a traditional second peak of fires there are several more weeks left, this peak falls on the first decade and mid -August, depending on the year. So far, everything develops a little worse than the average level, and there is a danger that we will again get a rather difficult August. But it is impossible to say more precisely now. The Baikal region, which suffers from many years of drought, causes great fears. Now the level of Baikal is much lower, more than 20 meters. This is not a cause of fires, but an indicator of common bloodlessness and low water in principle. The Baikal region, the Irkutsk region, the Krasnoyarsk Territory - they cause the greatest fears.

- But there was also the heat in the central part of Russia, now it was a little colder, but from next week the heat is again. What to expect to residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Central Russia?

Fires on Lake Olkhon, Summer 2015

-In Central Russia, the situation is still better, because after the large-scale fires of 2010, they began to be afraid of fire, they began to react to fires. Forestry equipment was updated in most regions, and the reductions ceased, at least, there were less in forestry. And they began to lie less in such densely populated regions, began to respond more to fires quickly. Therefore, the middle strip is not any particular fears now.

-If you personally were responsible for the prevention and extinguishing of forest and natural fires in Russia, and you could choose some country where this scheme is perfect, which country and why would you choose?

When he starts to burn, the first few days are spent on clarification - who is the main one and who is responsible for what

- One of the hottest territories in the Russian Empire was Finland, it was a territory that burned almost the most. And now she is almost not on. And there are several reasons there. One of the main reasons, perhaps, is the most important that from the practice of land use completely excluded the use of open fire, well, almost completely. There are no controlled burning, there is a very, very little burning of the bandage residues, there is generally any use of fire in the natural territory-this is an emergency, they immediately pay attention to it and begin to react. There is a very developed forestry, many people work in the forest, and, by the way, developed agriculture. Many people work near the forest, and if something starts to burn, people immediately see it. And the third reason is the normally organized interaction of all services with each other. Not like ours, when it starts to burn, and the first few days are spent on clarification - who is the main one here and who is responsible for what. These problems must be solved, they are obvious. Of course, they will not lead to rapid success, we have another country-a huge, sparsely populated in the northern territories, and the culture of treatment with nature, in general, is not, but if these three problems are solved, then the scale of fires can be reduced three times, ”said Alexei Yaroshenko, head of the Greenpeace Russia forest project.

The most large -scale forest fires occurred in Russia in the summer of 2010. Due to abnormally hot weather and lack of precipitation throughout the territory, first the Central Federal District, and then in other regions of Russia a complex fire situation arose. Peat fires in the suburbs were accompanied by the smell of Gary and strong smoking in Moscow and other cities. In early August 2010, about 500 thousand hectares in 20 regions of Russia were covered by fires. Peat fires were recorded in the Moscow, Sverdlovsk, Kirov, Tver, Kaluga and Pskov regions. The strongest fires were in the Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod regions and Mordovia, where a real disaster actually occurred. 53 people were killed in these fires, 1,200 houses, 127 settlements were destroyed by fire.