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Protection of lake Ecological monitoring Natural and man-made objects Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill
Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant
POLLUTION OF THE BAIKAL ECOSYSTEM DUE TO THE BAIKAL PULP AND PAPER PLANT
EMISSIONS
3 THOUSAND TONNES
DISCHARGE
MILLION m³
WASTE
INCREASED 3 TIMES
On December 2013 Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant was officially stopped.by 21.09.2012 order of the Federal government no. 847, approving Federal special program „Protection of Lake Baikal and Socioeconomic Development of the Baikal Natural Preserve 2012-2020.”
The Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant (BPPP) pollutes the ecosystem in the following ways:
1. Emissions of pollutants – 5,500 tonnes a year. More than 70% of the emissions are sulfur and nitrogen oxides. They have been accumulating in the soil of the taiga in Khamar-Daban for the last 50 years and, according to the latest studies, may contaminate surface waters feeding the lake. Noxious gases (hydrogen sulfide, methanethiol) make Baikalsk and the southern shore between the villages of Mangutay and Vydrino a much less attractive destination for tourists and lower its recreational potential.
2. Effluent wastewater discharged into the lake by the plant makes up about 97% of all waste water coming to Baikal in Irkutsk Oblast streams. The plant discharges more waste water and more pollutants in it than the entire city of Ulan-Ude – 37.9 million m³ vs. 27.7 million m³.
3. Ground waters remain contaminated. Over forty years of plant operations have created a contaminated water mound below the facility which drains off into Lake Baikal. Eight wells at the plant takes in some of this water for processing. Some 21 observation wells have been used to monitor the ground water. Five of them are immediately on the lake shore. The shore wells constantly show that the maximum permissible concentrations for a number of substances is being exceeded, which means the plant’s well system cannot stop the drain to the lake.
4. The BPPP uses two dumping grounds spanning over 154ha to store waste. Artificial ground barriers, both currently used and decommissioned ones, help to trap the waste.
1) The plant did not provide requested data for the Ministry of Natural Resources’ official report On the Condition and Preservation of Lake Baikal in 2012.
2) 2012 data for waste lignin are available. More than 6 million tonnes of waste lignin are being stored at the dumping grounds. Liquid components seep into groundwater and substantial volumes contaminate Baikal. Ground barriers are between 350m and 570m from the lake shore. They are vulnerable to mudslides or a possible powerful earthquakes. If the stored contaminants enter the lake, it will be an environmental disaster.
5. The plant doesn’t have the funds to implement all planned conservation measures and maintain its effect on the ecosystem within safe limits.
In March 2012, the Irkutsk Oblast branch of the Federal Service for Supervision of Use of Natural Resources made an emergency inspection visit. The check showed that a number of measures were not being carried out, e.g. the well system to retrieve and purify groundwater has not been approved.
The commission recommended a technical review of the system to evaluate its efficiency and whether its performance may be improved to 4,000m³ of groundwater per day.
In 2012 the plant paid 2.502 million roubles in damages following a court claim by the Irkutsk Oblast office of the Federal Service for Supervision of Use of Natural Resources. The damage to the lake was brought about by violation of legislation on water resources.
Federal Government Order 847, from August 21, 2012, instituted a special Federal program called the Protection of Lake Baikal and Socioeconomic Development of the Baikal Natural Preserve 2012-2020.
The program directs funds to eliminate the BPPP's effects on the environment - measure #10 in Appendix 3 to the program. Between 2012 and 2020, 2.908 billion roubles can be spent on this - 111.5 million in 2012. A footnote to this measure says that funding in 2013 and beyond will be provided after the federal budget agency responsible for the project has supplied the Ministry of Economic Development with exact figures and a performance report. The Ministry of Natural Resources in November of 2012 held an open tender for a state contract to perform an engineering survey and draft design documentation for a project to solve the stockpiled waste drain problem. The Federal Antimonopoly Service on December 20, 2012 (decision no. GZP/00872) held the tender to be invalid. Reserved funding, 111.5 million roubles, has been returned to the federal budget.
In 2024, the Baikal Mile will be held from 6 to 8 June.
Taking part in the Baikal Mile is a great way to test your limits of possibilities and feel the breath of nature in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
In 2024, the festival of ice sculptures on Lake Baikal is scheduled for the period from February 15 to 28. During these two weeks, the lake shore will turn into a real open-air museum, where everyone will be able to enjoy sculptural masterpieces created from ice.
The portal has been created for FSBI ”Informational and Analytical Center for Development of Water Bodies and Associated Properties” under the special program “Protection of Lake Baikal and Socio-Economic Development of the Baikal Natural Preserve for 2012-2020.”
