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Pollution 'crisis' in Lake Baikal

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28 December 2015

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Baikal water is unsafe for animals to drink, never mind humans. Picture: Vadim Levin

One of the wonders of the world, Baikal is Russia's jewel, but it is now facing severe pollution, according to stark new warnings. It's pristine waters are so clear, the guidebooks say, that you can peer 40 metres into the planet's deepest lake, which contains some 20% of all unfrozen freshwater on Earth, and more than the North American Great lakes combined. 

Worryingly, its famously drinkable water is drinkable no more, say scientists, at least in the southern part of the lake, in an area covering around  30% of its area. 

It is regarded as unsafe for animals to drink, never mind humans, warned a report this week on UlanMedia, which stated Baikal 'does not meet sanitary and epidemiological requirements'.

Baikal algae


Baikal algae


'The lake is covered with algae. Spirogyra is an indicator of fecal contamination.' Pictures: Arigus TV, Oleg Timoshkin

Scientist Oleg Timoshkin said: 'Baikal is clean between Cape Yelokhin and the Olkhon Strait. This is an untouched zone where you can drink water without any precautions. In all the other places there might be huge problems.

'The lake is covered with algae. Spirogyra is an indicator of fecal contamination. On top of that, all the sanitary and epidemiological indicators are far below standards.' 

Oksana Kuryok, head of the Irkutsk office of consumer rights agency Rospotrebnadzor, warned:  'There are some issues with cleansing facilities.'

Volunteers clean Baikal shore


Volunteers clean Baikal shore


Volunteers clean Baikal shore

Volunteers cleaning Baikal shores during the action ‘360 minutes for Baikal’. Pictures: 360 minutes for Baikal 

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has ordered a study to discover the cause of surface run-off of nutrients into the lake, causing a rapid rise in plant life. The lake is in 'environmental crisis' and 'requires immediate attention', said the newsru.com analysis. 

The warning follows a summer of wildfires which engulfed the forested areas around Baikal, threatening its  unique wildlife and vegetation. The lake's waters are known as self-cleansing thanks to the minute endemic filter-feeding copepod called Epischura baicalensis. 

Map


Epischura baicalensis

Map shows the area between Cape Yelokhin and the Olkhon Strait, where the water is safe for drinking(top). Endemic filter-feeding copepod Epischura baicalensis(bottom). Pictures: The Siberian Times, Evgeny Haritonov

There are zillions in the lake and they act as a filtration system, nicknamed the 'heroes of the lake', but there they are now struggling against man's encroachment. 

Dr Timoshkin, of the Limnology Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Irkutsk, has previously warned of  'intensive bacteriological decay' in the lake. 'Baikal can't swallow it all. The lake is no longer the cleanest lake on the Earth, at least, (around the) the coastal line. Water preparation and cleaning facilities of the towns close to Baikal haven't been functioning properly for the last three years, if not any longer. And all this filth gets into Baikal. It is not even possible to drink water of the rivers running through the local villages.'

Comments (3)

Damned shame that destruction of such a perfect place is not prevented
Patricia gothard, Laguna Woods CA USA
08/11/2017 22:19
2
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If I read you correctly, towns are running sewage into the lake. This practice needs to stop immediately. US is in NO position to talk. Take Flint, for example. For years, motor corpoations ran lethal chemicals and lead into the Flint river. Now all the gov can think to do is to charge the taxpayer. If our president had a real pair, he would charge the motor corps with the clean up of the river. And maybe criminal proceedings. If you can't think what to do with the sewage other than pollute the water, then you should dig and use outhouses until you can come up with a better plan.
Janis Schmidt, North Dakota, USA
23/01/2016 09:05
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I am NO hydro scientist, BUT I am thinking : Could be a possibility that the ALGIE was brought there from some
body who wanted to do HARM for the environment perhaps ? I did hear from situation like this in lake countries
and fires set by some rotten people. It is NOT seldom occurrences. For some unexplainable reason for me, is
that the last few decades, somehow more people are evil than decent. I tought may be the food is the culprit ?
Then I did abandoned that idea. I shop in food stores too, and I was NEVER bad in my life to anyone. I adore
warm blooded animals, sweet, innocent and defenseless, NEVER walk away from an animal nor human if they
NEED HELP ! But, I saw unfortunately rotten human animals ignoring them :( what a shame. I do love good and
decent people, but this days are less and less of them. May be people know this saying : The more people I meat, the MORE I ADORE MY ANIMAL CHILDREN ! Is very true indeed.
Rita, Budapest
17/01/2016 11:16
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