Problems of water resources in Russia. Environmental problems of Russia, and the role of geography in their solution

Visiting Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda Vadim Nikanorov, Acting Head of the Federal Agency for Water Resources [audio]

Photo: Ivan MAKEEV

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Afonina:

For the next hour, we would like to talk about the wealth that our country has. When people look at Russia and say that it is a storehouse of riches, I mean, of course, not only our subsoil, but also water resources. So, in the context of population growth, industrial development, pollution environment people's access to usable sources of fresh water is indeed being reduced. That is why some especially zealous people look at Russia as such a pantry of water resources. This is what we decided to talk about. With us in the studio Acting Head of the Federal Agency for Water Resources Vadim Nikanorov. What is the uniqueness of the water resource potential of our country, what do we have, what do others not have?

Nikanorov:

It is probably a little wrong to put the question this way, everyone has a little bit of everything. It's just that Russia has a lot of it. Russia is washed by the waters of 12 seas, there are over 2.5 million large and small rivers, more than 2 million lakes. And this is its water potential, the basis of Russia's water fund. The only drawback of Russia in this part is that these water bodies are located on its territory very unevenly. Nevertheless, 120 thousand rivers with a length of more than 10 km form the water frame of Russia. Favorable for shipping, we have more than 400 thousand kilometers on the territory of Russia, and this also contributes economic development. 90% of the annual river runoff falls on the basins of the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. And only less than 8% - to the Caspian and Azov basins. At the same time, more than 80% of the population of Russia lives in the Caspian and Azov basins. And the main part of the economic infrastructure of the country is also concentrated. On the territory of the Siberian District, which, in principle, is the richest in our country in terms of water, there are the largest river systems. This is the Angara-Yenisei, as well as the Ob and Irtysh. And in general, the Siberian District accounts for 43% of the resources of the entire river flow in Russia.

As for the lakes. We have about 2 million of them. Fresh, salty, brackish. And among them, the deepest freshwater lake in the world is Baikal. Also, many researchers refer the Caspian Sea to the lakes. The lakes are also unevenly distributed across the territory of Russia. Most of them are located in the northwest - this is the Kola Peninsula, Karelia, in the Urals, in Western Siberia, the Lena-Vilyui Upland, in Transbaikalia and the Amur basin. Here is such a number of lakes as we have, it really practically does not repeat itself. Only Canada has more lakes than Russia. Therefore, this is also, as it were, our wealth.

And, of course, Baikal. The main part of fresh water resources is concentrated in Baikal. This is 23 thousand cubic kilometers. Or 20% of the world and more than 90% of national fresh water reserves. Large or great lakes of Russia can also include Ladoga and Lake Onega. And in total, the 12 largest lakes contain about 25 thousand cubic meters of fresh water. Given that the total supply of fresh water in the lakes is 26.5-26.7 thousand cubic meters.

Afonina:

Vadim Anatolyevich, you just spoke about Lake Baikal, I think that our radio listeners immediately remembered what scandals are associated with this lake. How difficult it is now to say that this is one of the cleanest lakes on our planet. Alas, unfortunately, but it is true. We remember the actions organized by volunteers when they cleaned up Lake Baikal, we remember those scandals related to water pollution by enterprises... Who should be responsible for wasting water resources? Who is to blame? At enterprises that are located along rivers and lakes? Guilt on those who gave permission for the construction of these facilities? How can this situation be changed for the better? After all, such a task is certainly worth it.

Nikanorov:

Yes, of course, such a task is worth it, but I would not talk about wasting water resources, we are still talking about how to make Baikal cleaner or, more precisely, not even make it cleaner, and prevent its further pollution. And all the efforts of all are aimed at this - both environmental services, as well as subjects of the federation, which are located along the shores of Lake Baikal. This is mainly the Irkutsk region, Transbaikal region and the Republic of Buryatia. In fact, probably, those organizations and enterprises that are located along Baikal, permits for their construction were issued a very long time ago. And now it’s probably not worth remembering someone with unkind words. It is necessary to make sure that these enterprises become cleaner, they begin to dump the water that would not damage Baikal. The biggest problem is that almost all of these enterprises operate without treatment facilities. Now all the efforts of scientists who are located in the Baikal region, who deal with the problems of water purification, and who deal with Baikal itself and the quality of water in it, they are looking at how to do it in such a way as to provide all large and small enterprises with treatment facilities. In fact, from the side of the Republic of Buryatia there are no large enterprises directly located on the territory of Baikal. The Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill is closed. There remained problems with past environmental damage. This issue is being resolved. There are no new resets. But those sanatoriums and resorts that are located, small enterprises, recreation centers, etc. - they all work without the presence of treatment facilities. And, perhaps, this is one of the main problems.

The second main problem is the growth of new algae in Baikal. The so-called spirogyra. Scientists have proven that the main environment that promotes their growth is the chemicals that are in detergents. And one of the tasks now facing both the authorities of the constituent entities of the federation and environmental structures is to introduce a ban on the sale and distribution of such detergents in the Baikal region. According to scientists of the Limnological Institute, who are closely involved in the problems of Baikal, this will dramatically improve the state of the Baikal ecosystem.

Afonina:

It turns out that the purity of water resources depends on each of us, and if we do not use such products in everyday life, maybe the situation will really change?

Vadim Anatolyevich, we have just talked about only one lake - about Baikal - of course, scientists come, explore, look, we are trying our best to properly maintain this pearl of the world. But let's remember that in Soviet times, for example, there was a slogan "turn the river back." And they turned. We will adjust, as they say, water wealth to the needs of man. Now, have they moved away from such a policy?

Nikanorov:

They are moving away from such a policy. Water management is based on other principles, and almost no one in the country has the desire to turn the rivers back. Although there are such violent heads in our country and in neighboring states who often say that Russia has too much water and let's share it with neighboring states, and offer to transfer it to neighboring states, sell it abroad, etc. But so far, thank God, there are no such serious attempts, because we understand that the amount of water that we have and what we talked about with you in the first part of our program is unevenly distributed, and secondly, it is subject to cyclicity. And if in one year there is a lot of this water - we have floods, floods - then in another year it may not be enough. And we are entering, or some region of our country may be entering the stage of low water. Thus, we, unfortunately, cannot predict in advance whether Russia will be able to fulfill its international agreements for a long period of time by supplying water somewhere abroad. Therefore, I think that it is necessary to move away from such a policy and use water for the benefit of Russia within the country.

Afonina:

And what are the most important challenges of our time? How could you define them?

Nikanorov:

If we are talking about what is happening inside our country, then, as I said, these are alternating floods and periods of low water alternating with them. This is a very complex system that depends both on the climate, on its change, and on other factors, including technological ones. And if, in principle, we know how to deal with floods, in the presence of reservoirs, we cut off the peaks of floods, collect in the spring with the proper forecast of Roshydromet, empty the reservoirs and fill them with flood water, not letting them go downstream, preventing some cities from flooding, then in a period of low water, everything worsens. Water is not enough for some purposes for which it was used before, and problems begin. Problems in organizations, problems in shipping, problems in industry. The thing is that, in accordance with the water code, in the absence of the proper amount of water resources, the needs of the population are met first of all. Thus, we limit consumption by other industries and supply water without restrictions - we try - to provide the population, economic facilities. Therefore, problems with low water are a whole chain of problems. In particular, for several years we have had very big problems on the Volga-Kama cascade. This is the largest cascade in Europe Russian Federation and for several years there was such a prolonged period of low water. This was associated with restrictions on navigation, underload of ships, incomplete loading of enterprises that used water in the area of ​​the Volga-Kama cascade were also associated with this. This was due to the restriction of the tourism business, because the Upper Volga reservoirs also partially fall into the system of the Golden Ring of Russia, they carried tourist ships, and this also had to be limited. That is, you understand that when a country enters a period of low water, this entails a lot of restrictions.

Afonina:

But they will tell you - this is the elements, in fact, who can predict this and what to do with it? Well, yes, probably, there is some algorithm of actions for this or that case, but it is probably impossible to identify any periodicity. Does this take away a certain amount of responsibility?

Nikanorov:

In principle, it is possible to reveal the periodicity, but it is very difficult to have such large water reserves to provide a period of some dry years. This requires very large reservoirs with many years of operation. We have few such reservoirs. Most of our reservoirs have seasonal or annual regulation. Therefore, it is, of course, difficult to accumulate water for a cycle of dry years. The way out of this is the construction of new reservoirs, the maintenance of existing reservoirs in working order and, of course, the adaptation of the water management structure, which includes waterways, water intake facilities of enterprises, water intake facilities of housing and communal services. Under work with low levels, it is precisely the solution to this problem in such a period.

Afonina:

Unfortunately, in the history of modern Russia there were situations when it even came to human casualties. I’m talking about excess water now ... It seems that they don’t listen, or something, to experts, they don’t consult, for example, with the federal water resources agency, when they arrange these unauthorized developments, and the authorities do not respond to this, and then people’s houses washes away and people die. When it turns out that elementary safety measures are not being observed near water bodies. By the way, do our radio listeners know what they write? I will read you literally a couple of such messages. "Northern Donets. The banks of the river are littered with rubbish. It's disgusting to watch. Nothing is really being done" - this is a message from Belgorod. Yegor from Tver writes: “On the whole, I’m satisfied, with the exception of some comrades building up close to the rivers, who don’t clean up after themselves.” “We have a city on the Amur,” writes our radio listener from Khabarovsk, “the state of the water is terrible, you can’t swim, it’s dangerous to fish. Pollution mainly comes from the "Chinese brothers". And this is the great Russian river? That is, the questions, probably, are not even about the full flow of the rivers or, conversely, the insufficient amount of water, but about how this is approached and how it is treated. Is there any way to answer our radio listeners to these claims?

Nikanorov:

They are absolutely right. Buildings near rivers, in the so-called water protection zones or coastal protective lanes– this is the main problem. The fact is that if all the norms for buildings were observed, of course, the damage from floods would be much less. But people are drawn to the water and believe that the closer he builds a house or makes some kind of household plot then he will be better off. Indeed, for some period of time this satisfies everyone, but then a large water comes, the house is washed away or it stands for a long period of time under water, loses its qualities and people try to appeal to the state to compensate for the damage from the flood.

Afonina:

Yes, but now, as far as I understand, the state is ready, for example, to ensure that people themselves fully insure their homes, which are located in such a dangerous zone and, accordingly, they themselves subsequently pay ... if you cannot get rid of your own problems, that you really want to live by the water and at the same time you understand the danger, then you have to pay for it. There is another interesting message that concerns the state of the Simferopol reservoir. “Simferopol reservoir is the largest reservoir of fresh water in the Crimea. A very sad picture. Terrible littering of the coastline, no sanitary zone is observed, cars drive right next to the water, especially on weekends and holidays, fuel and lubricants fall on the ground. Since the water level changes all the time, all this sooner or later ends up in the water. Just a barbaric attitude - both on the part of local residents and on the part of the city authorities, who cannot restore order, ”Andrey writes.

Nikanorov:

Yes, in fact, there are many such examples. We in the agency see this all the time, because we receive a huge number of letters from people who are dissatisfied with the state of the coastline of water bodies, the use of water bodies on their territory. And I will say that here full responsibility for this state, for all these things, lies with the bodies of local self-government, with the subjects of the federation. This is due to the fact that, in accordance with the Water Code that is in force in our country, Article 26 of it transferred the authority to manage water resources on its territory to the subjects of the federation.

Afonina:

Who manages the water resources anyway? The state or somehow this scheme is arranged differently? In order to understand, maybe we already have all the rivers in private ownership, but we don't know about it - who is the manager?

Nikanorov:

No, our rivers are not privately owned and cannot be. Small water bodies that are located on the territory of one of some land plot, small quarries, ponds - here they can be privately owned. And they are really actively transferred to private property. As for all other water bodies, they are all owned by the state. In federal ownership. However, as I have already said, the federation has transferred part of the powers to manage them to the subjects of the federations. Leaving behind the management of large reservoirs, cascades of reservoirs that are of strategic importance for the country, and reservoirs that are used for domestic drinking water supply of two or more subjects of the federation. Here is a list of reservoirs and they are managed by the federal agency of water resources.

Afonina:

And why is it done? Why do not the subjects of the federation govern? What is the danger if all this is transferred to the discretion of the regional authorities?

Nikanorov:

Here, first of all, to avoid possible conflicts between neighbors, between subjects of the federation on water allocation. Therefore, in order to avoid such possible conflicts and to ensure that the needs of the population and industry in the water resources of these subjects of the federation are guaranteed, the state controls this. The structure of water resources management in Russia is based on the basin principle. We have 15 basin authorities. These are our local authorities. Here they are in their place to ensure that all the possibilities of large reservoirs are used to meet the needs of a particular subject. To do this, basin councils are created on the territory of these basin administrations, which include representatives of the constituent entities of the federation, large water users, and other interested persons who together solve all the problems that arise in the basin of the entire basin. Such meetings of the basin councils are held at least twice a year and there, in addition to pressing problems Today, we are planning activities for the future, discussing what needs to be done and for which water bodies in the near future. And these plans are then fixed by the subjects in the form of some of their regional programs for the use of water resources, and the subject and the basin as a whole move along them.

Afonina:

Let us now turn again to our radio listeners - are you satisfied with the state of rivers and lakes? And Alexander called us. Good afternoon.

Alexander:

Good day. As you said, we have the Volga-Don basin, the city of Belgorod, the Seversky Donets River, which flows through two states. Outrageous case! Unfortunately, our authorities do not pay attention to this, the reservoir is shrinking and blooming. We, residents who have been living for a long time, have repeatedly appealed, but the land is being stolen ... our power has not changed for 25 years in the region ... and I would like to ask - have you ever been or not been to our long-suffering region in terms of water?

Afonina:

Vadim Anatolyevich, have you been to the Belgorod region?

Nikanorov:

Oh sure. And not only in the Belgorod region, I once traveled the entire basin of the Seversky Donets, I know all the problems that exist there. There, indeed, the river begins in the Belgorod region, passes through Ukraine and ends in the Rostov region, flowing into the Don and carrying there all the muck that has accumulated over the entire course of the Seversky Donets. Indeed, the river is in a very unsatisfactory state. Both on the territory of the Belgorod region and on the territory of Ukraine. A huge amount of all kinds of banned, let's say, substances are dumped there ... When our relations with Ukraine were better, these problems were discussed at the level of the intergovernmental commission every year, there were laboratories that monitored the quality of water both in the Belgorod region, before supplying it to Ukraine, and in the Rostov region, when we tracked what Ukraine dumped us. The situation was more or less satisfactory. And now we continue to measure the amount of pollutants that come to us from the territory of Ukraine, but, unfortunately, we can’t do anything about it yet. The only reassuring thing is that due to the current situation in the Donbass, industry is practically not working there now, so discharges into the Seversky Donets are minimized.

As for the Belgorod Region directly, then, of course, it is necessary to draw the attention of the local leadership, the governor, to the state of the Seversky Donets River, and we, for our part, will also ask the Don Basin Water Administration, whose prerogative is to oversee the state of the water resources of the Belgorod Region, to consider at the nearest basin council, the state of the river and reservoirs, which are located on the territory of the Belgorod region, to discuss it and take some urgent, and, perhaps, planned decisions.

Afonina:

Yes, we came to the topic, which, I think, is also of interest to our radio listeners. It turns out that the joint use of water resources by different states sometimes leads to quite serious conflicts. Let's remember the conflict between Turkey and Syria over the Tigris and Euphrates. Between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia due to the Nile River. Between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan because of the Jordan River Basin. We have in Central Asia these conflicts are constantly going on because of the division of water resources. Yes, by the way, scientists also scared that the first nuclear conflict on our planet would break out not between Russia and the United States, but between India and Pakistan because of problems around access to drinking water on the Hindustan peninsula. That is, here we get such a topic of a rather global conflict that can unfold because of the usual, as it seems to us, fresh water. Russia in this sense is not subject to such influences, fears, the emergence of certain conflicts? After all, our rivers, as we understand, are also not only our welfare and only our prerogative of use? Here is one of the examples you just gave. Are there others? What conflicts might arise? Where are the pain points?

Nikanorov:

Yes, the problem of water use in the world is becoming the most important factor that affects the economy, the social sphere, and the provision of regional and national security. And now I want to quote that the 2015 World Economic Forum report "Global Risks" put forward the water crisis as the primary danger to humanity in terms of the magnitude of the expected impact. The authors of the report assume that by 2030 the demand for water will exceed the available water resources by 40%. This is very fresh data and it is impossible not to listen to it. As for Russia, as I said before, Russia is one of the countries most endowed with water resources and Russia's average long-term renewable resources account for 10% of the world's river flow. It is the second largest in the world after Brazil. That is, in principle, the water crisis does not threaten Russia. And on average, we have a little more than 30,000 cubic meters of water per person per year in our country. That significantly exceeds the critical indicator set by the UN. And it is equal to 1.7 thousand cubic meters. That is, the difference is noticeable. And even this minimum level set by the UN, it guarantees the minimum needs of the population, the economy and the preservation of the environment.

Afonina:

Yes, this is rather an answer to the question of one of our radio listeners, probably already the final such remark, one of those who listen to us writes: “Water goes underground. Instead of minerals being mined, we will die of thirst.” We won’t die, the expert in our studio tells us, yes, I understand that, Vadim Anatolyevich?

Nikanorov:

Yes, absolutely true.

Afonina:

We won't be left without fresh water, that's it. Well, thanks a lot! Vadim Nikanorov, Acting Head of the Federal Agency for Water Resources, was with us in the studio.

Modern problems of water resources

The problems of clean water and the protection of aquatic ecosystems are becoming more acute as historical development society, the impact on nature caused by scientific and technical progress.

Already in many areas the globe there are great difficulties in ensuring water supply and water use due to the qualitative and quantitative depletion of water resources, which is associated with pollution and irrational use of water.

Water pollution mainly occurs due to the discharge of industrial, domestic and agricultural waste into it.

In some reservoirs, pollution is so great that they have completely degraded as sources of water supply.

A small amount of pollution cannot cause a significant deterioration in the condition of a reservoir, since it has the ability of biological purification, but the problem is that, as a rule, the amount of pollutants discharged into the water is very large and the reservoir cannot cope with their neutralization.

Water supply and water use is often complicated by biological interference: overgrowing of canals reduces their capacity, algae blooms worsen water quality, its sanitary condition, and fouling interferes with navigation and the functioning of hydraulic structures.

Therefore, the development of measures with biological interference is of great practical importance and becomes one of the critical issues hydrobiology.

Due to the violation of the ecological balance in water bodies, there is a serious threat of a significant deterioration of the ecological situation as a whole. Therefore, mankind faces a huge task of protecting the hydrosphere and maintaining biological balance in the biosphere.

The problem of pollution of the oceans

Oil and oil products are the most common pollutants in the oceans.

By the beginning of the 1980s, about 6 million tons of oil were annually entering the ocean, which accounted for 0.23% of world production. The greatest losses of oil are associated with its transportation from production areas. Emergencies, discharge of washing and ballast water overboard by tankers - all this leads to the presence of permanent pollution fields along sea routes. In the period 1962-79, as a result of accidents, about 2 million tons entered the marine environment.

oil. Over the past 30 years, since 1964, about 2,000 wells have been drilled in the World Ocean, of which 1,000 and 350 industrial wells have been equipped in the North Sea alone. Due to minor leaks, 0.1 million tons of oil are lost annually. Large masses of oil enter the seas along rivers, with domestic and storm drains.

The volume of pollution from this source is 2.0 million tons/year.

Every year, 0.5 million tons of oil enters with industrial effluents. Getting into the marine environment, oil first spreads in the form of a film, forming layers of various thicknesses.

The oil film changes the composition of the spectrum and the intensity of light penetration into the water. Light transmission of thin films of crude oil is 1-10% (280nm), 60-70% (400nm).

A film with a thickness of 30-40 microns completely absorbs infrared radiation.

When mixed with water, oil forms an emulsion of two types: direct - "oil in water" - and reverse - "water in oil". When volatile fractions are removed, oil forms viscous inverse emulsions, which can remain on the surface, be carried by the current, wash ashore and settle to the bottom.

Pesticides. Pesticides are a group of man-made substances used to control pests and plant diseases.

It has been established that pesticides, destroying pests, harm many beneficial organisms and undermine the health of biocenoses. In agriculture, the problem of transition from chemical (polluting the environment) to biological (environmentally friendly) methods of pest control has long been faced.

The industrial production of pesticides is accompanied by the appearance of a large number of by-products that pollute wastewater.

Heavy metals.

Heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, arsenic) are common and highly toxic pollutants. They are widely used in various industrial productions ah, therefore, despite the treatment measures, the content of heavy metal compounds in industrial wastewater is quite high.

Large masses of these compounds enter the ocean through the atmosphere. Mercury, lead and cadmium are the most dangerous for marine biocenoses. Mercury is transported to the ocean with continental runoff and through the atmosphere.

During the weathering of sedimentary and igneous rocks, 3.5 thousand tons of mercury are released annually. The composition of atmospheric dust contains about 12 thousand tons of mercury, a significant part of which is of anthropogenic origin. About half of the annual industrial production of this metal (910 thousand tons/year) ends up in the ocean in various ways.

In areas polluted by industrial waters, the concentration of mercury in solution and suspension is greatly increased. Contamination of seafood has repeatedly led to mercury poisoning of the coastal population. Lead is a typical trace element found in all environmental components: in rocks, soils, natural waters, atmosphere, living organisms.

Finally, lead is actively dissipated into the environment during economic activity person. These are emissions from industrial and domestic effluents, with smoke and dust industrial enterprises, with exhaust gases from internal combustion engines.

Thermal pollution.

Thermal pollution of the surface of reservoirs and coastal marine areas occurs as a result of the discharge of heated wastewater from power plants and some industrial production. The discharge of heated water in many cases causes an increase in water temperature in reservoirs by 6-8 degrees Celsius. The area of ​​heated water spots in coastal areas can reach 30 square meters. km. A more stable temperature stratification prevents water exchange between the surface and bottom layers.

The solubility of oxygen decreases, and its consumption increases, since with increasing temperature, the activity of aerobic bacteria that decompose organic matter increases. The species diversity of phytoplankton and the entire flora of algae is increasing.

Freshwater pollution

The cycle of water, this long way of its movement, consists of several stages: evaporation, the formation of clouds, rainfall, runoff into streams and rivers, and again evaporation. Throughout its path, water itself is able to clear itself of contaminants that enter it - decay products of organic substances, dissolved gases and minerals, suspended solids.

In places where people and animals congregate, natural clean water is usually not enough, especially if it is used to collect sewage and transfer it away from settlements.

If not much sewage enters the soil, soil organisms process them, reusing nutrients, and clean water seeps into neighboring streams. But if the sewage immediately enters the water, they rot, and oxygen is consumed for their oxidation. The so-called biochemical oxygen demand is created. The higher this requirement, the less oxygen remains in the water for living microorganisms, especially for fish and algae.

Sometimes, due to lack of oxygen, all living things die. Water becomes biologically dead; only anaerobic bacteria remain in it; they thrive without oxygen and in the course of their life they emit hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas with a specific smell of rotten eggs. The already lifeless water acquires a putrid smell and becomes completely unsuitable for humans and animals.

This can also happen with an excess of substances such as nitrates and phosphates in the water; they enter the water from agricultural fertilizers in the fields or from sewage contaminated with detergents. These nutrients stimulate the growth of algae, algae begin to consume a lot of oxygen, and when it becomes insufficient, they die. Under natural conditions, the lake, before silting up and disappearing, exists for about 20 thousand years.

years. An excess of nutrients accelerates the aging process and reduces the life of the lake. Oxygen is less soluble in warm water than in cold water. Some businesses, especially power plants, consume huge amounts of water for cooling purposes. The heated water is discharged back into the rivers and further disrupts the biological balance of the water system.

Reduced oxygen content prevents the development of some living species and gives an advantage to others. But these new, heat-loving species also suffer greatly as soon as water heating stops. Organic waste, nutrients and heat interfere with the normal development of freshwater ecosystems only when they overload those systems.

But in last years Ecological systems have been bombarded with vast amounts of absolutely alien substances, from which they know no protection. Agricultural pesticides, metals and chemicals from industrial wastewater have managed to enter the aquatic food chain with unpredictable consequences. Species at the top of the food chain can accumulate these substances at dangerous levels and become even more vulnerable to other harmful effects.

Polluted water can be purified. At favorable conditions it happens naturally through the natural water cycle. But polluted basins - rivers, lakes, etc. - take much longer to recover. In order for natural systems to be able to recover, it is necessary, first of all, to stop the further flow of waste into rivers. industrial emissions not only clog, but also poison wastewater.

In spite of everything, some municipalities and industries still prefer to dump their waste into neighboring rivers and are very reluctant to do so only when the water becomes completely unusable or even dangerous.

The impact of wood processing waste on the environment

4. Environmental problems associated with emissions from wood processing enterprises

water resource

1. Significance of the water resource for the environment and humans

For the environment The value of the water resource for the aquatic environment is such that it provides useful substances, vitamins, minerals for it, the water contains many microelements that can help the soil and trees grow ...

Exposure to low doses of radiation

5.

Problems related to regulation of exposure to radiation

The outstanding Swedish radiobiologist R.M. Sievert came to the conclusion as early as 1950 that there is no threshold level for the action of radiation on living organisms. The threshold level is...

Geoecological problems of exploration and development of mineral deposits

1.

The main problems associated with the conduct of geological exploration

From the point of view of life planning, there are two main approaches to environmental protection: from the point of view of danger and resources. In other words, a person must take into account potential dangers ...

Hygienic requirements for the quality of drinking water

2. Problems related to drinking water

Pollution of the environment by waste from fish processing enterprises

2.1 Environmental problems associated with the generation of fish waste

The Federal Law "On the sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population" dated March 30, 1999 No. 52-FZ regulates the sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the collection, use, disposal, transportation ...

Protection land resources from negative natural and anthropogenic processes

2.

Land resources and problems associated with them

Drinking water quality and public health

In Russia, the problem of providing the population with benign drinking water remains unresolved, and in a number of regions has acquired a crisis character.

Of the volume of water supplied to the population, 68% is occupied by surface water sources ...

Drinking water quality and human health

1.2 Problems related to drinking water

In Russia, the problem of providing the population with good-quality drinking water remains unresolved, and in a number of regions it has become a crisis. Of the volume of water supplied to the population, 68% is occupied by surface water sources ...

Relaxing the Hotelling conditions in the theory of non-renewable natural resources

2.2 Impact of an alternative inexhaustible resource on the exploitation of an exhaustible natural resource

Higher (compared to economic) significance of the environmental criterion, the desire to save the environment impose severe restrictions on the volume of extraction of mineral resources.

In this case, the NTP comes into play and then the need ...

The concept and consequences of urbanization

2. Environmental issues associated with urban growth

Increasing population density. 2. In large cities, insolation (the amount of solar energy) is reduced by 15%. 3. Increased rainfall. 4. The amount of fog increases (by 30% in summer and 100% in winter). 5…

The concept and causes of the ecological crisis

1.3 Problems related to anthropogenic impact on the biosphere

The global processes of formation and movement of living things in the biosphere are due to the circulation of huge masses of matter and colossal energy flows.

Processes that occur with the participation of living matter ...

The current state of nature in Belarus: subsoil and mineral resources

2. Environmental issues associated with the development of mineral resources

The upper part of the lithosphere is subjected to intense technogenic impact as a result of human activities, including during geological exploration and development of mineral deposits ...

Ecological problems associated with oil and gas production in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug

3) Environmental problems associated with the production of oil and gas in the district.

In the process of developing oil and gas fields, the most active impact on the natural environment is carried out within the territories of the fields themselves, the routes of linear structures (primarily main pipelines) ...

Environmental risks associated with the exploitation of oil fields

Environmental risks associated with the exploitation of oil fields

Environmental risk refers to the likelihood that any changes will adversely affect the environment. natural objects and factors...

The general state of the ecology of Russia

Volley and emergency emissions are gradually becoming more frequent harmful substances into the Earth's atmosphere. And the air basins of such cities as Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Novosibirsk and Arkhangelsk have the highest level of pollution.

It is noted that acidification of atmospheric precipitation and emissions of sulfur dioxide have become more frequent. This is due to the fact that emissions are not only related to Russian enterprises, they are often due to cross-border transport.

Also, environmental problems are associated with water resources, because due to the rapid development of civilization, they change rapidly.

Water resource issues

Allocate problems associated with increased water management tension.

This is due to the fact that water resources are not evenly distributed across the territory of Russia, and in those regions where there are enough water resources, they are all involved in economic activity. This and many other factors lead to water loss.

Also, an environmental problem is the pollution of surface waters, the reason for this is the flow of a huge amount of pollutants with wastewater.

Water bodies in Russia are subject to anthropogenic influence and this results in them failing to meet regulatory requirements.

To solve this environmentally difficult situation, it is necessary to increase the number of treatment facilities, since their number does not yet correspond to the volume of polluted waters.

In addition, there is a constant decrease in the water content of large rivers and the mass death of small rivers, which significantly affects ecological state many cities and contributes to the deterioration of the economic situation.

Long time stocks groundwater depleted and polluted, and one of the key and most dangerous problems for human health is the deterioration of the quality of drinking water.

More than half of the population is forced to use those water resources that do not meet the standards for various water indicators.

As a result of all of the above, the seas are polluted, which worsens the reproduction of fish stocks.

Land resource issues

Environmental problems are also linked to the degradation of land resources. The main forest resources of Russia are used irrationally and thoughtlessly, the amount of waste during the use and logging is not controlled.

Forest zones are depleted from the atmosphere polluted by harmful industrial waste. Hence follows the degradation of the vegetation cover, which is extremely important for the development of many types of economy.

The species fund of flora and fauna is also depleted, many species of animals and plants are endangered.

On the this moment allocate 16-18% of the total territory of Russia, which is a zone of ecological crisis.

This leads to a decrease in life expectancy and to a general deterioration in the health of Russians.

Solutions to environmental problems and the role of geography

For a balanced solution of environmental problems, first of all, it is necessary to move to the sustainable development of all spheres of life, including the stabilization of the environmental situation.

Geography, as a science, must have a structured approach to solving environmental problems.

Greening should be done economic activity, for this, structural and institutional transformations must be formed to ensure the formation of a new, more environmentally friendly model of the economy.

It is important that the economic capacity of the country's ecosystems be assessed and the allowable anthropogenic impact on them determined.

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Circulating and closed water management systems

The intensive development of industry and agricultural production, the improvement in the level of improvement of cities and towns, and a significant increase in the population have led to a shortage and a sharp deterioration in the quality of water resources in almost all regions of Russia in recent decades.

One of the main ways to meet the needs of society in water is the engineering reproduction of water resources, i.e.

their restoration and enhancement not only quantitatively but also qualitatively.

Prospects for the rational reproduction of technological water consumption are associated with the creation of re-sequential, circulating and closed water supply systems at enterprises.

They are based on the amazing property of water, which allows it not to change its physical essence after participating in production processes.

The industry of Russia is characterized by a high level of development of circulating water supply systems, due to which the saving of fresh water used for production needs averages 78%.

The best indicators of the use of circulating systems are enterprises of the gas (97%), oil refining (95%) industries, ferrous metallurgy (94%), chemical and petrochemical (91%) industries, mechanical engineering (85%).

The maximum water consumption in the systems of circulating and re-sequential water supply is typical for the Ural, Central, Volga and West Siberian economic regions.

In general, in Russia, the ratio of the volumes of fresh and recycled water use is 35.5 and 64.5%, respectively.

The widespread introduction of perfect water circulation systems (up to closed ones) can not only solve the problem of water supply to consumers, but also keep natural water sources in an ecologically clean state.

Use of water resources

In recent years, due to economic destabilization, which led to a drop in output industrial products, reduced productivity Agriculture and the reduction of irrigated areas, in Russia there has been a decrease in the volume of water consumption (for 1991-1995.

fresh water - by 20.6%, marine - by 13.4%). The structure of fresh water use has also changed: water consumption for industrial needs decreased by 4% (from 53% in 1991 to 49% in 1995), for irrigation and watering - by 3% (from 19 to 16%), at the same time the share of household and drinking water supply increased by 4% (from 16 to 20%).

the volume of fresh water use in Russia amounted to 75780.4 million m3/year, sea water - 4975.9 million m3/year.

Public water supply

The municipal economy of Russia provides for the water demand of the urban population, municipal, transport and other non-industrial enterprises, as well as water consumption for the improvement of settlements, watering streets and extinguishing fires.

A distinctive feature of public utilities is the constancy of water consumption and stringent requirements for water quality.

The main volume (84-86%) of the consumed water is used for household and drinking needs of the population, on average in Russia, the specific water consumption per city dweller is 367-369 l/day.

About 99% of cities, 82% of urban-type settlements, 19.5% of settlements in rural areas are provided with centralized water supply.

Improvement of urban housing stock on average across the country is characterized by the following indicators: provision with central water supply - 83.8%, sewerage - 81.4% central heating- 84.7%, bathrooms and showers - 76.7%, hot water supply - 70.8% (data for 1996).

About 13 km 3 / year of wastewater is discharged into surface water bodies by industry enterprises; for various reasons, insufficiently treated water prevails in the structure of discharged water.

In the country as a whole, about 70% of all supplied water is preliminarily passed through the treatment plant systems.

Due to the unfavorable state of drinking water supply sources and the imperfection of the water treatment system, the problem of water quality does not lose its severity.

Standard treatment facilities, including a two-stage clarification, decolorization and disinfection scheme, cannot cope with the increasing loads of new pollutants (heavy metals; pesticides, halogenated compounds, phenols, formaldehydes). Chlorination of water containing organic substances that accumulate in water sources leads to its secondary pollution and the formation of carcinogenic organochlorine compounds.

About 70% of industrial enterprises discharge wastewater into the municipal sewerage, which, in particular, contains salts of heavy metals and toxic substances.

The sludge generated during the treatment of such wastewater cannot be used in agriculture, which creates problems with its disposal.

Industrial water supply

Industrial water supply, which ensures the functioning of technological processes, is the leading direction of water use. Industrial water supply systems include hydraulic structures for technical water intake and delivery to all enterprises, as well as water treatment systems.

The industrial potential of each economic region of the Russian Federation is represented by almost all major industries.

There are also areas where quite definite branches of industry are predominantly concentrated. For example, 46% of light industry production is concentrated in the Central Economic Region, about 70% of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy products fall to the share of the Ural economic region, and 46% of the fuel industry to the share of the West Siberian region.

The volumes of water consumption depend on the structure of industrial enterprises, the level of technology, and the measures taken to save water.

The most water-intensive industries are thermal power, black and non-ferrous metallurgy, engineering, petrochemical and woodworking industries.

The most water-intensive industry, the electric power industry, accounts for about 68% of the total consumption of fresh and 51% of recycled water.

Since the majority of industrial facilities are concentrated in large cities, combined industrial and communal water supply systems have been predominantly developed in Russia, which, in turn, leads to unjustified high costs for industrial water needs drinking quality(up to 30-40% of the daily supply of city water pipes).

Industrial enterprises are the main source of surface water pollution, annually discharging a large amount of wastewater (in 1996,

- 35.5 km'). Wastewater from the chemical, petrochemical, oil refining, pulp and paper and coal industries is especially diverse in its properties and chemical composition.

Despite the sufficient capacity of the treatment facilities, only 83-85% of the wastewater discharged meets the regulatory requirements. In the structure of discharged waters containing pollutants above the standard level, discharge without treatment is currently 23% (in 1991 - 28%), the rest of the water is discharged insufficiently purified.

Agricultural water supply

In rural areas, water supply is mainly local systems and through individual provision of water users.

Local water supply systems are very dependent on the quality of water in the sources and, if necessary, are equipped with special facilities. In areas with high density group systems are used by the rural population.

For the needs of the industry, about 28% of the total volume of water withdrawal is taken from natural water sources.

Among the agricultural sectors, the main consumer of fresh water and a major polluter of surface water bodies, discharging untreated wastewater through the collector-drainage network, is irrigated agriculture.

A serious danger to surface water bodies is the removal of fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural fields.

Another major water consumer and a powerful source of pollution of surface and groundwater are livestock complexes for growing large cattle, pigs, birds. Treatment of livestock wastewater is very difficult, because before being discharged into water bodies, it must be long time kept in storage ponds.

Water transport

Water transport is perhaps the most ancient water user.

The inland waterways of Russia (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, canals), which have a total length of over 400,000 km, transport up to 50 million tons of cargo.

When using rivers and other water bodies for navigation, it is necessary to maintain guaranteed depths, flow regime and other conditions on them to ensure the uninterrupted operation of water transport during the navigation period.

In a number of cases, the interests of water transport come into conflict with the interests of other water users and water consumers, such as water supply, irrigation, and hydropower.

For example, hydroconstruction, on the one hand, makes it possible to increase the depth and width of the waterway, eliminate rapids, and on the other hand, it introduces serious complications into the operation of water transport by reducing the duration of the navigation period, sharp daily and weekly fluctuations in flow rates and water levels in the downstream of hydroelectric stations. .

Water transport, without making high demands on water quality, is one of the significant sources of pollution of water bodies with oil products and suspended solids.

Timber rafting has a very adverse effect on the ecological state of water bodies, changing the natural state of channels, clogging water bodies with flooded wood, and destroying spawning areas.

Fisheries

The fish industry is directly related to the use of water resources and makes very high demands on their regime, quantitative and qualitative state.

For successful reproduction and normal development of fish, clean water with a sufficient amount of dissolved oxygen and the absence of harmful impurities, appropriate temperature and food supply are necessary. Water quality standards for fisheries facilities are more stringent than for drinking water sources.

In Russia, about 30% of catches in inland seas and reservoirs are accounted for by freshwater fish (pike, bream, pike perch, roach, perch, carp, whitefish, stellate sturgeon, beluga, salmon, chum salmon, pink salmon).

In recent years, there has been a decrease in catches, which is due to a decrease in the productivity of fishery facilities as a result of intense anthropogenic impact.

An increase in the reproduction of fish is carried out through artificial fish breeding at fish hatcheries, in spawning and rearing farms, and fish hatcheries.

Very promising direction is the cultivation of fish in reservoirs-coolers of thermal power plants.

recreation

Water objects are a favorite place for recreation, sports, and recreation of people. Almost all recreational institutions and facilities are located either on the banks of water bodies or near them. In recent years, the scale of recreational activities in water bodies has been constantly growing, which is facilitated by an increase in the number of urban population and the improvement of transport communications.

In the Russian Federation, about 60% of all sanatoriums and over 80% of recreation facilities are located on the banks of water bodies.

60% of tourist bases and 90% of recreational facilities for the most massive suburban recreation in the country.

Water resources(table of contents)
The state of water resources in the world >>

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Date: 09/01/2011
"Construction Complex Predictor" no. 72
Topic: ***

Actual problems of water consumption: who is to blame and what to do?

Scientists warn

Over the past 40 years, the amount of fresh water on the planet has decreased by 60%.

Today, 2 billion people live with limited drinking water, and the industry with the highest water consumption is only increasing its output. This situation was prepared by the President of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Honorary Ecologist of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Technical Sciences, prof. Dr. V. A. Rogalev. In particular, he noted that Russia is the second largest in the world in terms of drinking water reserves (according to Brazil), but uses only about 2%.

At the same time, only about 10% of water is lost annually due to outdated low-quality pipes in industry. According to the scientist, if we start using efficient water consumption technologies, the annual costs for these needs can be reduced from 180 to 25 billion.

dollars.

Every year, due to water pollution, the state suffers 70 billion losses, and fines are issued for only 500 million rubles. The main polluters are industrial enterprises (63%), utilities (25%) and agriculture (11%).

In addition, V.A. Rogalev stressed that more than half of the Russian population uses poor quality drinking water, which naturally affects the health of citizens. For example, in the Northwestern Federal District, the list of water supply networks was completed by only 40%, only 1% of groundwater reserves met the requirements of class 1, 21% were dangerous for the population, the scientist said.

President of the Council of the Professional Association of Health Workers in St. Petersburg St. Petersburg, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor A.

A. Rareko supported his colleague and confirmed that more than 50% of the population of the Russian Federation consumes water that does not meet sanitary and hygienic requirements and lives in ecologically unfavorable areas.

More than 20% of samples of municipal and departmental plumbing do not meet hygienic standards for chemical indicators, and 10-15% of samples are microbiological.

Thus, the Leningrad region is one of the last places in Russia in terms of the quality of consumed drinking water.

According to scientists, it is necessary to create new technologies that mitigate the negative effects on water systems and provide safe conditions for the life of the population, get out of the systemic crisis in the water sector, check the rules for building near water.

Like A.A. Rarely, in St. Petersburg, only in Lake Suzdal, more than 100 violations of building codes have been identified.

In addition, the professor said that the water safety system, created in Soviet times, is now in a depressive situation.

Of the 10 billion rubles allocated for these purposes annually, only 1.5 is being developed. This is due to the fragmented nature of the fund management system and the ownership of water structures for various forms property. Rarely. Thus, about 2,000 buildings belong to the state, 7.6 thousand - in non-state, and 4,000 buildings, as a rule, are considered as orphans. According to the speaker, every year there are 60 accidents with damage from 2 to 10 billion.

ruble, the maximum damage can be up to 300 billion rubles. According to the Deputy Head of the Supervisory Board of Rosneft St. Petersburg A.V. Meltzer, the unfavorable situation with the quality of drinking water in St. Petersburg and Leningrad is associated with microbiological indicators of the Neva water, which are sometimes worse than other water sources in the Russian Federation.

This is due to the unsatisfactory situation in coastal areas, the presence of direct domestic, domestic, industrial and waste water, as well as the inability to take into account the sanitary protection of water sources outside the city.

At the same time, a targeted program is being carried out in the St. Petersburg region aimed at preventing the consequences of pollution, and one of its main advantages is the introduction of ultraviolet disinfection systems that help citizens protect themselves from contamination by the virus.

However, the lack of control over the activities of housing services leads to the fact that the consumer does not receive high-quality drinking water due to the deterioration of the water supply network, since there are about 71% in the city, he adds. So, because of the quality control of drinking water in 2009 and 9 months of 2010, which were in St. Petersburg, more than 1000, 307 fines were issued and several criminal offenses were committed. There is another problem, A.V.

Meltzer - weak mineralization of the Neva water. After the absence of micro- and macroelements, it causes an increase in cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the composition of water for residents of St. Petersburg.

Violations do not decrease

Representatives of law enforcement agencies discussed violations in the field of water legislation at round table. Thus, the Deputy Prosecutor of the Leningrad Region, Senior Counselor of Justice P.F. Panfilov noted that in addition to a large number companies that threaten environmental protection, located in the region of the Leningrad region, the conditions are affected by unregulated recreation areas for citizens, the construction of water protection zones.

He also noted that the number of violations in the field of ecology is increasing every year.

60 percent of violations in the field of environmental protection are caused by violations of water law, 90 percent of violations are mediated by them, said the prosecutor of the Environmental Prosecutor's Office in St. Petersburg. Petersburg, southern legal adviser Yu.V.

Pikhtyreva. She said that, without checking water samples from enterprises, she approved the discharge of wastewater into the Neva (66 companies - 90 outlets) and the Nevsky Bay of the Gulf of Finland (18 companies - 60 questions), but did not give the results of the relevant rules. In addition, the acceptable standards were disastrous.

The environmental prosecutor's office in St. Petersburg, together with the Committee for Nature Protection, has introduced a program to register all wastewater discharges.

As a young counselor of justice said, “there are a lot of unreported problems today, and it is not known what is going on in it.” Although the implementation of these measures requires high labor and financial costs, the prosecutor believes that they will definitely be implemented.

The problem of discharging raw sewage from enterprises is further complicated by the fact that fines for such violations are very low and environmental measures are expensive.

Today, about 95% of wastewater treatment plants located in urban enterprises are inefficient and require repair. "Now the environmental prosecutor's office will file a lawsuit to restore these structures," the expert said.

The prosecutor also pointed out that companies that have issued the right to use water bodies must install meters at all water levels and discharges, but the September inspection showed that "they are installed in rare companies."

Those who do not equip their devices with such devices will receive claims from the prosecutor's office Yu.V. Pikhtyreva.

The very sad situation at the facilities of the military district of Leningrad was described by the Deputy Military Prosecutor of the Military District of Leningrad, Colonel of Justice S.

S. Skrebets. Thus, out of 45 complex processing facilities located at the LVO location, only 9 are in a satisfactory condition. He also noted that 11 processing enterprises are required for major repairs, 18 for reconstruction, and 16 more buildings. Today, about 73% of wastewater has been resolved without compliance. According to the deputy The military prosecutor will transfer at least 1.5 billion rubles to transfer these items to the appropriate state.

One pollutes one and the other pays for it

Municipal sewer systems are not designed to clean up some contaminants.

It is assumed that industrial companies should independently treat wastewater from such substances, and then send the wastewater to the municipal sewer system. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen. About 2,000 subscribers of Vodokanal violate the requirements for wastewater treatment and discard them without clarification, said Yu.V.

V. Artemiev.

At the same time, Vodokanal has no right to prosecute industrial enterprises that throw wastewater into the sewer, she added.

And since effective mechanisms affect performers that do not exist on hydraulic structures in St. Petersburg or on water channels in other cities, water management companies are responsible for the pollution of water bodies.

At the same time, real pollutants usually do not respond to the state of the polluted environment. So, there is a situation where someone pollutes and the other pays for it.

This does not lead to an improvement in the quality of wastewater, as well as to a reduction in pollution of water bodies.

St. Petersburg Vodokanal and its colleagues at the National Watercourses Union believe that the polluter pays principle should be legally defined.

As the director of legal assistance of the State Unitary Enterprise "Vodokanal of St. Petersburg" M.

B. Gass, now a working group of the Ministry of Regional Development of the Russian Federation (participation in it, including experts from VODOKANAL, the National Association of Plumbers, the Russian Water Association), the draft federal law "On Water Supply and Sewerage". It proposes a clear definition of the responsibility of water supply and sewerage (WSS) organizations for the discharge of pollutants into water bodies.

In this case, WSS organizations will be responsible for meeting the standards for a well-defined list of indicators for which urban wastewater treatment plants are designed. In this case, the discharge of pollutants into water bodies from a centralized sewer system should be recognized as a negative impact on water bodies - by identifying subscribers responsible for excessive wastewater quality.

For many hundreds of years, human impact on water resources was insignificant and had an exclusively local character. The excellent properties of water - its renewal due to the circulation and the ability to purify - makes fresh water relatively purified and has quantitative and qualitative characteristics that will remain unchanged for a long time. However, these features of water gave rise to the illusion of the immutability and inexhaustibility of these resources. Out of these prejudices, a tradition has arisen of the careless use of vital water resources.

The situation has changed a lot in recent decades. In many parts of the world, the results of long-term and wrong actions towards such a valuable resource have been discovered. Many parts of the world's water resources are becoming so depleted and heavily polluted that they are no longer able to meet ever-increasing demands.

The total volume of the hydrosphere is striking in its quantity, but only 2% of this figure is fresh water, moreover, only 0.3% is available for use. Scientists have calculated the fresh water resources that are necessary for all mankind, animals and plants. It turns out that the supply of water resources on the planet is only 2.5% of the water of the required volume. Worldwide, about 5 thousand m3 of water is consumed annually, while more than half of the water consumed is irretrievably lost.

Percentage of water consumption:

Yo Agriculture - 63%

Yo Industrial water consumption - 27% of the total

Yo Utilities take 6%

Yo Reservoirs consume 4%

World water consumption.

In terms of individual components, the water balance of the world in modern period is formed as follows.

Municipal water supply. In the early 1980s, about 200 cubic kilometers were spent on the needs of the population, while 100 cubic kilometers were consumed. lost irrevocably. In 1990, more than 300 cubic kilometers were seized for these purposes. Water consumption rates per person average 120-150 liters per day. In fact, they fluctuate a lot. In the cities of industrialized countries, water consumption is especially high. For example, in European countries it rises to 300-400 l / day. In the cities of developing countries located in subarid or arid areas, the norms are reduced to 100-150 liters / day. The rural dweller consumes much less water. In humid areas in developed countries, it consumes up to 100-150 liters of water per day, and in dry tropical regions - no more than 20-30 liters.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at present more than 1.5 billion people in the world are not provided with clean, safe water for health, and by the year 2000 their number may reach 2 billion people.

Industrial water supply. Unique properties water as a natural body allows it to be widely used in various industries. It is used for energy purposes, as a solvent, coolant, an integral component of many technological processes. Water capacity various industries varies depending on the type of product used technical means and technological schemes. For the production of 1 t finished products At present, the following amount of fresh water is consumed: paper 900-1000 m3, steel - 15-20 m3, nitric acid - 80-180 m3, cellulose - 400-500 m3, synthetic fiber 500 m3, cotton fabric 300-1100 m3 and etc. Enormous volumes of water are consumed by power plants for cooling power units. So, for the operation of a thermal power plant with a capacity of 1 million kW, 1.2-1.6 km3 of water is needed per year, and for the operation of a nuclear power plant of the same capacity - up to 3 km3 (Rozanov, 1984). Only 320 km3 of water, with 20 km3 lost.

Thermal power engineering widely uses circulating water supply systems, attracting part of the waste and treated water from other industrial production, since relatively low quality water can be used for cooling. Water consumption for energy purposes generates 300 km3 of thermal effluents requiring 900 km3 of free fresh water to be diluted.

The share of other industries in the total water consumption for the needs of industry is even higher - 440 km3; 700 km3 are spent due to recycling water supply systems, while losing more than 10% of this volume. It is in industrial installations that effluents are enriched with especially toxic compounds that are difficult to remove from waste water. The total volume of runoff is 290 km3. Since modern water purification technology is still far from perfect and many enterprises in various countries discharge their wastewater into water bodies insufficiently or poorly purified, as a result, 5800 km3 of free water is required to dilute this volume of polluted water, i.e. 20 times more.

Water supply for agriculture. The largest water consumer is agriculture. According to approximate calculations, in 1990 this branch of the world economy consumed more than 3000 km3, i.e. 3.5 times more than industry. Almost all of this volume was used to irrigate irrigated land and only 55 km3 was used to supply livestock.

By the beginning of the 1980s, 230 million hectares of land were irrigated in the world. With an average irrigation rate of 12-14 thousand m3/ha, from 2500 to 2800 km3 of pure free water and a significant part (about 600 km3) of treated and diluted wastewater from the domestic sector and some industrial production were spent on irrigation. According to very rough estimates, approximately 1900 km3 evaporated from the surface of irrigated lands and was transported by vegetation, 500 km3 drained into underground horizons. Thus, in contrast to industrial water consumption, the use of water for irrigation dramatically increases the irretrievable loss of unproductive evaporation from the surface of irrigated lands and creates runoff in the form of irrigation or return water, which is difficult to capture, treat and reuse. At the same time, their volume is huge, they are saturated with bio-strong (nitrogen, phosphorus) and other easily soluble compounds, due to which the mineralization of waters increases. The appearance in subarid or arid landscapes with irrigated lands of significant amounts of mineralized ground water creates the danger of secondary salinization of soils and their degradation.

Effluent from livestock farms is a particular problem. Although their total volume in world water consumption for agriculture is small (only 10 km3), they are extremely overloaded with organic compounds, are difficult to recover and cause particularly rapid pollution of water bodies. water pollution sea sewage

According to M.I. Lvovich (1994), modern water intake from various sources (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, underground horizons) for industrial and domestic needs, irrigation and livestock complexes is more than 4000 km3, and the volume of runoff is approximately 2000 km3. If we assume that all wastewater is treated according to the norm, then in this case at least 8,300 km3 of clean water will be required to dilute it (20% of the total flow and 60% of the stable flow). But as a result of the imperfection of modern water use and purification, much more water is polluted. Thus, if the quantitative depletion of water reserves of traditional sources in global scale does not threaten humanity in the near future, then a qualitative deterioration is already evident today.

A sharp tension in the water balance and crises in water use increase immeasurably in countries with a limited water resource potential, where there are actually no free water reserves for diluting waste and treated water. Similar phenomena are typical for many industrialized countries of the world, where underconsumption practically consumes all water resources. Such is the situation in the countries of foreign Europe, in many parts of the USA. The problem of water supply is even more acute in developing countries, where there is often a shortage of quality drinking water, and the existing streams and surface reservoirs serve as collectors for discharges of completely untreated industrial effluents.

Water consumption and its structure on separate continents. Features of modern water management also depend on natural factors(first of all, the availability of river runoff, climatic features, surface arrangement), and socio-economic structures. The economy of Asian countries absorbs the largest volumes of water. Almost 90% of this volume in Asia is spent on agriculture. A similar situation is typical for South America and Africa, although in general the participation of these continents in world water consumption is insignificant. V North America and in Europe, industrial and agricultural water use is about equal.

Water pollution

The main causes of water pollution

v Waste water

Domestic, industrial and agricultural waste pollutes many rivers and lakes.

v Disposal of waste in the seas and oceans

The dumping of garbage in the seas and oceans can cause huge problems, because it negatively affects the living organisms that live in the waters.

v Industry

Industry is a huge source of water pollution, which produces substances that are harmful to people and the environment.

v Radioactive substances

Radioactive pollution, in which there is a high concentration of radiation in the water, is the most dangerous pollution and can spread into ocean waters.

v Oil spill

An oil spill poses a threat not only to water resources, but also to human settlements located near a contaminated source, as well as to all biological resources for which water is a habitat or a vital necessity.

v Leaks of oil and oil products from underground storage facilities

A large amount of oil and oil products are stored in tanks made of steel, which corrodes over time, which in consequence creates leakage of harmful substances into the surrounding soil and groundwater.

v Precipitation

Precipitation, such as acid precipitation, forms with air pollution and changes the acidity of the water.

v Global sinks

An increase in water temperature causes the death of many living organisms and destroys a large number of habitats.

v Eutrophication

This is a process of reducing the quality characteristics of water associated with excessive enrichment with nutrients.

As a child, I thought that reservoirs are such special huge indoor pools, and the water in them is only for drinking, and no one bathes in them. In principle, I was not far from the truth, however, almost any pit can be a reservoir, and swimming in them is allowed.

Why are reservoirs needed?

A reservoir is an artificial reservoir created by man in river valleys with the help of water-retaining structures and intended for the accumulation and storage of fresh water. The reservoirs themselves are of three types:

• Covered tanks.
• Outdoor pools.
• Excavations created near natural water sources.

The latter are divided into two types: channel ones - located in river valleys, and lake ones - repeat the shape of the reservoir located in their backwater. The main purpose of reservoirs is to serve as an uninterrupted source of water used in the national economy. For example, water is taken from lake reservoirs for irrigation of agricultural plants, and run-of-the-river reservoirs created somewhere in the bed of a mountain river are used as additional power in hydropower.

The reservoirs are also used for fish farming. So it is more convenient to control the output of fish fry valuable breeds, to track their population, and also easier to control the microclimate of the breeding pond.

Problems that reservoirs create

Many sources say that reservoirs negatively affect the microclimate of the nearby territory, but nowhere is it specified exactly how. In this regard, hydrology highlights the following negative points:

• Erosion of the shoreline of the reservoir.
• Change in the water level in the ground.
• Extra losses in water evaporation.
• Changes in the usual chemical composition of water.
• During the construction of large reservoirs, the possible subsidence of the earth's crust at its bottom.

In addition, the problem of almost any reservoir is the swamping of its territory and the appearance of the so-called "floating wood".

Almost all of the above problems can be solved in one way - do not build too deep a reservoir. Otherwise, constant cleaning measures will be required.

In order to remove the problem of providing the inhabitants of the Earth with water resources, it is necessary to radically reconsider the ways and means of using the hydrosphere, use water resources more economically and carefully protect water bodies from pollution, which is most often associated with human economic activity.

Scientists distinguish hydrological-geographical and technical methods solutions to the water problem.

The primary technical task is to reduce the volume of wastewater discharges into reservoirs and introduce recycling water supply at enterprises based on closed cycles. A number of industrial enterprises and municipal services are faced with the urgent task of using part of the runoff for irrigation of crop areas after appropriate treatment. Such technologies are being developed very actively today.

One way to get rid of the shortage of water suitable for drinking and cooking is to introduce a water saving regime. For this purpose, household and industrial systems for controlling water consumption are being developed, which can significantly reduce its unreasonable consumption. Such control systems help not only to save valuable resource but also to reduce the financial costs of the population for this type of public services.

The most technologically advanced states are developing new ways of doing business and production methods that make it possible to get rid of the technical consumption of water or at least reduce the consumption of water resources. An example is the transition from systems to air, as well as the introduction of a method of melting metals without blast furnaces and open hearths, invented in Japan.

Hydrological-geographical methods

Hydrological and geographical methods consist in the management of the circulation of water resources on the scale of entire regions and in the purposeful change of the water balance large areas sushi. At the same time, we are not yet talking about an absolute increase in the volume of water resources.

The purpose of this approach is to restore water by maintaining a sustainable flow, creating groundwater reserves, increasing the share of soil moisture through the use of flood waters and natural glaciers.

Hydrologists are developing methods for regulating the flow of large rivers. Measures are also planned to accumulate moisture in underground wells, which may eventually turn into large reservoirs. It is quite possible to drain the used and thoroughly purified process water into such tanks.

The advantage of this method is that with it, water, passing through the layers of soil, is additionally purified. In areas where a stable snow cover has been observed for a long period, snow retention works are possible, which also make it possible to solve the issue of water supply.