Environmental pollution is one of the most important problems of mankind. The fate of our planet and humanity depends on how carefully we treat nature, air. Of particular concern are the territories where the largest industrial centers are located. In our country, the environmental problems of the Krasnoyarsk Territory occupy a leading position. This area is very vulnerable due to the enterprises located on it. Let us examine what environmental problems of the Krasnoyarsk Territory currently exist and how they are addressed.
Ecological condition of the region
This subject of the Russian Federation is a leader in many respects. It has the largest area and concentration of minerals, it is responsible for their extraction on a large scale. Here are deposits of coal and nickel, graphite and quartz sand, all kinds of ores. The region is also engaged in logging, because more than half of the territory is occupied by forests.
If we briefly outline the environmental problems of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, we can say that the main one is the functioning of hazardous industries that pollute the air and dump waste into the water. This is compounded by the fact that these combines (2/3 of them) are located in the most densely populated cities in the region: Krasnoyarsk and Norilsk.
Another problem is deforestation, which is not only a natural air purifier, but also the habitat of living organisms. Not given due attention and plantings in cities.
All this allowed the region to be included in the top three in Russia with the largest environmental pollution. Let us examine in detail the environmental problems of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Air
Good clean air is vital for everyone. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the Krasnoyarsk Territory only have to dream of such a thing. Indeed, large industrial enterprises clog it with alarming speed. The figure characterizing atmospheric emissions is growing catastrophically. Since 2000, it has almost doubled.
Most of all, metallurgical enterprises, such as the Norilsk Combine, a plant located in Krasnoyarsk, are to blame. Here, in close proximity to residential areas, there is an aluminum processing plant. By the way, the largest enterprises have well-established measures to minimize emissions into the environment. Basically, small and medium-sized factories “sin” in violation of the norms. They do not have the opportunity to attract environmentalists.
The worst thing is that for ordinary people all these emissions are almost invisible, while half of the periodic table is in the air, including harmful ammonia, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and others.
The last of these components is a product that pollutes the air of motor vehicles. Its concentration is especially high in large cities, and it is growing every year. This is due to the improvement of the welfare of the population and the increasing freight traffic.
Water
The environmental problems of water bodies in the Krasnoyarsk Territory are also very large-scale. There are several thousand lakes with fresh water, and rivers that are used to build power plants also flow through the territory.
Unfortunately, enterprises operating in this subject, in addition to air, pollute water. We are talking about the release into it of life-threatening elements, such as, for example, lead or zinc. Wastewater from plants and factories is not sufficiently treated, as well as sewage. As a result, a deterioration in the quality of fresh water, from which purity and uninterrupted supply depends on life in the region.
In addition to discharging contaminated wastewater, it is also not sufficiently cooled, which leads to the death of the ecosystem of water bodies. So, in 2011, a case was recorded when an enterprise threw water at a temperature of 40 degrees into the Yenisei. This caused serious damage to the ecosystem: plankton and, as a result, fish died on a large area. The culprit was the Krasnoyarsk heating system.
Soil and forest
The environmental problems of the Krasnoyarsk Territory are also related to the state of soils. They are contaminated in two ways: by direct contact with the source (when toxic substances are released), it is also possible that poisons can enter the air. After all, they are heavier and able to settle on the ground. Thus, land cover contains lead, zinc and other heavy metals.
Another problem is waterlogging and oxidation of soils; they also contain a large amount of salt.
The environmental problems of the Krasnoyarsk Territory with land resources are inextricably linked with the state of forests.
After all, plants and shrubs are not able to grow on contaminated soil. As a result, forest areas are reduced: conifers, mosses and lichens are the first to suffer.
Other problems
In addition, the environmental problems of the Krasnoyarsk Territory are associated with the storage of 105 million tons of industrial waste. Of these, a certain proportion falls on the 1st and 2nd hazard classes (the most toxic). Of these, more than 20 million tons are stored in close proximity to housing estates. As a rule, this process is carried out in violation of the standards, which can lead to environmental disaster.
It should be said about the most polluted cities of the region. First of all, it is Norilsk. This administrative center is the most polluted city in our country; in world statistics, it also occupies a leading position.
The reason for everything is the plant, which extracts and simultaneously processes metal. The whole city is steeped in smog. The situation is aggravated by the fact that it is located in the Arctic zone, whose meager nature is unable to cope with enormous emissions.
Krasnoyarsk is slightly inferior to Norilsk. There is air pollution (smog is especially noticeable on warm days), soils (mainly arsenic) and water (chemical enterprises located in the immediate vicinity of the city are responsible for this).
