Here is another reason to make sure that, that dear Russians love their homeland very much, but they don't really like to understand and think. And why bother, if someone shouted, that Putin sold Baikal to the Chinese? Here, as in that joke, “What is there to think? You have to jump!" And we, of course, jumping ...
The wave that has recently risen over the construction of a plant for bottling drinking water on Lake Baikal has once again shown, how much we need a law to combat fake news. Although the news does not seem to be fake: the plant is actually being built. But everything else is pure fake. This also applies to scary stories about, that the Chinese will drink all of Baikal, and we will have nothing left, and reports of the enormous environmental harm of this plant.
The most remarkable, that the first part of the charges was very easy to deal with. In just a couple of minutes of searching, you will already know, how much water the plant will produce and how much it will affect the water cut of the world's largest freshwater reservoir. But the author is kind, the author will not send you to the terrible "Yandex", so here are just a few numbers.
Just first, let's make one important clarification.. Baikal is not a closed system. They flow into this lake 336 rivers and streams (nineteenth century data, but since then no new information has appeared), water constantly flows into the lake, and its surplus flows from it, giving rise to the Angara River.
In its turn, the Angara runoff at the exit from Lake Baikal is approximately 2000 cubic meters per second. This is two million liters of the very purest Baikal water.. Factory, which we are talking about, plans to consume 192 million liters of Baikal water. That is, the volume, which Angara "consumes" in about one and a half minutes. And speak against this background about, that "Putin sold Baikal to the Chinese", how our pseudo-patriotic community loves it, That's just funny.
Strictly speaking, in order to scoop all the water out of Lake Baikal at such a rate, it will take approximately 120 million years. That is, even without the constant renewal of water in the lake, it would be a completely daunting task for this plant alone., so even for hundreds of such industries. And that's the question, probably, could have been closed. But just in case, keep it in mind, when you come across scary news headlines from the Baikal region on the Internet.
of course, exposing this fake is already on the Internet. But still there are many of those, who is trying to play on the problem sucked from the finger. In its turn, the revelations that appeared and quite sober articles forced to change the tone of ecologists and other fighters for the ecological virginity of Lake Baikal. In particular, now they say, that they have no questions about the volume of water taken, but otherwise the data of the environmental impact assessment is incomplete, and construction can still damage the ecology of the region.
for example, indicates that, that the plant is being built near Talovskie swamps, having a certain environmental value. Migratory birds stop in these swamps, including those listed in the Red Book. Excessive anthropogenic load on this biocenosis really will not benefit either its inhabitants., nor the ecological health of Baikal itself. And this concern could be considered justified, if not for a few "but".
First of all it should be noted, that the main construction is taking place on the territory of the village of Kultuk. Moreover, the territory of either the former base of fuels and lubricants is allocated for it., or some other bankrupt enterprise, associated with the transshipment of fuel for local needs. And if we talk about the plant itself, its impact on the ecology of even the nearest adjacent territory is simply negligible in comparison with that, what has already been there and is. It should also be noted, that hunting is allowed in the area, including during the migration of birds. of course, restrictions, avifauna in the Red Data Book, don't go anywhere, but let's be honest with ourselves: control over local hunters is hardly so tight, and we can only hope for their consciousness.
The first flight of the Il-112V transport aircraft will be postponed due to weather
Talovskie bogs are affected only by, that pipes are stretched through them for several kilometers, along which water will be taken from Baikal. Yes, this is also an anthropogenic load, we will not argue with this. But it is also true, that such things can be solved even at the construction stage, making the appropriate changes to the project. The decision to close the agreed and approved project can be called very controversial.: investor, already seriously spent on construction, hardly wants to go through all the circles of our bureaucratic hell again. Science will be different too ...
However, production, like this, it is from an ecological point of view that it can be called optimal for Baikal and the adjacent territory. Using the available renewable resource and practically without harming nature, water bottling plants could provide employment in villages, located on the coast, and local budgets to fill decently. And this would ultimately be a boon for the ecology of the region., because otherwise people, left without a livelihood, life itself is pushed towards poaching and illegal deforestation.
Factory, which the AquaSib company planned to build, had to provide work 140 residents of the village. For these places - a large number. And such factories, repeat, on the shore of Baikal, without the slightest damage to him, can accommodate dozens.
As for attracting a Chinese investor, then this is just very good: he not only invested money in the construction, but also provides products for the huge Chinese market, where they are ready to buy Baikal water in really large volumes.
So where did the hysteria come from?? Well, one side, it's clear: Baikal is a sacred place for Russians, and when someone screams hysterically, that they want to pack it in a bottle and take it to China, millions of our fellow citizens, without reasoning, ready if you do not rush to the embrasure, the, at least, sign some petition. And they signed it - the corresponding petition received more than a million signatures, what, to be frank, not even close to the scale of the problem.
On the other hand, leaves no feeling, that this whole performance is well directed. Von, even Sergei Zverev went to Red Square with a placard. Yes, he is a native of those places, which are discussed in this article, but somehow his image, neither his previous activities fit with such an act. Of course, it's never too late to become more mature and more responsible. But at the same time, let's not forget - they have there “everything is for fun, except money ". And in this version, I will believe much easier..
The coordination and massiveness of this attack even arouses some envy - eh, we should learn this way. And, what is most interesting, it was created on a minimal informational background - someone cleverly tied together the words “Baikal, ecology, Chinese, sales officials », and all, we already imagine, like scary Putin oligarchs (and where without them?) pump out the last water from our natural pearl and smuggle it to the cunning Chinese. This is what runs as a red thread in many publications., exactly this if not stated directly, it is hinted, gradually.
All this more than ever resembles the one announced by me back in 2014 year "strategy of a thousand slaps in the face" to Putin, when our "partners", unable to change power in Russia with the help of one decisive swoop, will shake Russian society with thousands of small injections and slaps in the face and try to somehow undermine that "Crimean consensus", which the, it seemed, firmly consolidated Russia in the face of any external attacks.
Alas, as it turned out, Crimean consensus does not apply to attacks from within. And this is very disturbing ...
Victor Kuzovkov
