«Abrau-Durso» with a taste of sewage? Who litters the famous lake

IRINA MISHINA

The town of Abrau- Durso has gained All-Russian and even world fame not only because of Lake Abrau, but because of the wines loved by many. As you know, the Abrau-Durso group of companies produces sparkling wines produced using classical technology, as well as cider, spirits, soft carbonated drinks and artesian water. All this now risks acquiring a bad reputation. The reason is that in Abrau-Durso, eyewitnesses captured sewage draining into Lake Abrau.

A resident of Novorossiysk filmed how muddy sludge with a characteristic smell flows down the pipes into Lake Abrau. You don't have to be an expert to understand: this is nothing but a sewer. The author of the video shows that there is a recreation center opposite the drain site. He assumes that it is from there that the feces flow into the lake. The footage shows that the water in Abrau in some places has turned into a standing substance of a characteristic brownish color. The beauty and comicality of the situation is that Lake Abrau Durso is a nature conservation area of regional significance.

We have contacted local environmental organizations of the Krasnodar Territory with the question whether they are aware of the current situation and what measures they are taking. The Eco-Passport organization did not know anything about the situation with Lake Abrau, and Geo-Scale stated that they did not deal with such stories. Interestingly, the Moscow office of the Abrau-Durso group of companies also did not hear anything about the environmental threat on the lake. While environmentalists and employees of Abrau-Durso remain silent, the situation is spread exclusively by journalists.

The situation was responded to in the Municipal Management Center of Novorossiysk. There, the fact of sewage draining into the famous lake was confirmed. The inspection materials were sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the region for further decision-making. The city administration did not deny that sewage gets into the lake.

«Officials of the environmental safety department of the control and audit department carried out a visit to the landmarks indicated on the video. The facts stated in the video have been confirmed, the inspection report and photographic materials have been sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Krasnodar Territory for taking measures,» the Environmental Safety Department of the Novorossiysk City Administration told NI.

Who is the culprit of what happened?

According to local residents, the sewage drain occurs from a local recreation center. rest. Raw sewage from public toilets is sent to Lake Abrau. As a result, both the lake and the reputation of one of the best producers of Russian wines are dying.

The fate of the famous Abrau Lake is also worrying. As you know, this is the largest freshwater lake in the Krasnodar Territory and one of the largest in the Caucasus, the area of the lake is estimated from 0.6 to 2.0 km². It is home to 15 species of valuable fish, including trout, golden orfa, crucian carp, carp, Abrau tulka. The lake has a conservation status.

«The most terrible thing is that household sewage, which contains phosphorus and nitrogen, gets into the lake. This means that an explosive growth of cyanobacteria can begin in the heat. These are terrible toxins that lead to incurable diseases and even to paralysis of the nervous system. There is little sense from the local administration, it is necessary to appeal to the prosecutor's office,» said Viktor Danilov—Danilyan, a hydrologist and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Cyanobacteria can indeed threaten both aquatic fauna and humans. These bacteria create prerequisites for the emergence of a number of dangerous diseases: dysentery, cholera, viral infections. Cyanobacteria toxins can cause gastroenteritis, pneumonia, unpredictable allergic reactions and chronic liver damage in humans. Their carcinogenic effect is especially dangerous. In many reservoirs into which sewage flows, fish die due to the increase in the number of cyanobacteria. After all, chemistry also flows down the pipes: for example, dishwashing liquids.

In general, the blockage of sewage reservoirs in the south is typically our Russian trait. This is a problem of our entire south and the Caucasus. Unfortunately, sewage is constantly discharged into the sea and reservoirs. In Turkey, on the other side of the Black Sea, it is cleaner, but here people swim almost in their own feces.

«Until our authorities begin to control and modernize wastewater treatment systems, we, unfortunately, will swim in the sea with excrement,» says ecologist Ruslan Khvostov.

Not shitting in reservoirs is a worldwide practice. But, apparently, it does not matter to the business of the south of Russia, because Russians will come anyway, they will eat churchkhela and hot corn and suffer from rotavirus.