21’000 tonnes of expired Diesel – Huge oil Spill of power abuses in Russia for the past two weeks forces fight against the largest oil Spill in the Russian Arctic region. It will take 10 years until the nature has recovered. Culprit there seems to be many. 0 comment Eder oil Spill in the Russian Norilsk, North of the Arctic circle is dealt with expertly.Photo: Keystone

The huge Oil slick on the waters in Norilsk, a disaster for the idyllic nature in the high North of Russia unprecedented scale. The shimmering red liquid from a damaged fuel storage in the city of Norilsk has spread in the rivers Daldykan and Ambarnaja.

From there flowed the poison in the freshwater storage Pjassino. “This is a wonderful lake with approximately 70 kilometers in length – and of course, there are also fish and a magnificent biosphere,” says the Governor of the Krasnoyarsk territory Alexander Uss.

But now the Russian Arctic region is experiencing the largest oil Spill in its history, such as the environmental protection organization Greenpeace notes. For Russia’s indigenous peoples, the fish-rich waters are important on a nutritional basis. And even if the oil Spill is prevented by the Lock on the water of the dispersion and then removed, the experts expect for years to problems. The reason: The toxic Diesel components are used to dissolve and pollute the water and the fish.

Above all must be prevented that the toxic fuel paves the way across the river Pjassna further North into the Kara sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic ocean, says the Governor of the Uss.

Ten years

hundreds of forces after-effects have removed tons of contaminated soil and of the water surface Oil skimmed off. However, it will take at least ten years, the Ecosystem here has recovered, as the Deputy Minister for natural resources and environment, Jelena Panowa, says. The summers are short. Therefore, the natural has only little time to regenerate. Especially for the removal of Oil products important bacteria there are in the Region because of the long Winter, hardly.

As the fuel stock of the power plant collapsed in the vicinity of Norilsk at the end of may, from fins 21’000 tons of diesel oil. Around 15’000 tonnes should be caught in the waters. 6000 metric tons have declined accordingly in the soil. It took days, until the Public of the disaster was learned.

a billionaire Potanin pays for it out of petty cash

the Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin showed himself angry when he realized the extent of it. It could not be that the social networks first images and information come into the Internet, but the authorities hit the Alarm. The industrial city of Norilsk has 175’000 inhabitants – and by the Nickel environment removal already have enough problems. In a televised video circuit imposed Putin to the state of emergency. And he instructed the richest man in Russia, Vladimir Potanin, to take care of.

Potanin is the head of the Nickel producers Nornickel, belongs to the damaged storage tank. He estimated the damage at more than ten billion rubles ($136 million Swiss francs). “That’s been a huge wave,” said Potanin about the Diesel. “No matter what it costs, we have the numbers”, assured Potanin in an interview Putin. Experts expect a significantly higher damage.

“no Matter what it costs, we pay”: Vladimir Potanin is Russia’s richest man. Photo: Sergei Karpukhin/climate change to blame?

Apparently, the huge cistern, which fell with the diesel oil, because the thawing of permafrost soil as a result of climate change, and thus its strength as a building site loses. “Such things are difficult to predict,” claimed the businessman. The Problem is not new. Scientists and environmentalists have long commented on the dangers tauender permafrost soils in Siberia.

“that is Why the Monitoring must be done all the time. The question is whether that will happen,” said the renowned scientist Boris Morgunov. The Arctic region is experiencing an unprecedented environmental disaster. Experts compared the disaster with the oil Spill, the Supertanker “Exxon Valdez” in 1989 caused off the coast of Alaska. At the time, 36’000 tons of Oil were.

Why happened to the stock controls?

In Russia went in the 1980s-built fuel storage through the acceptance – in spite of the problematic location. How this could be, clears the top of an investigating authority in proceedings against the responsible employee of the technical supervision authority. You have neglected the controls.

It is not the only investigation proceedings in the case. In custody of the head of the power plant is already sitting. Again and again it comes in Russia to the consequences of disasters, because safety precautions are ignored, sloppiness in the game is or permits are issued against a bribe. Also, this case shows how politics and business interests are interwoven.

hundreds of emergency workers have removed tons of contaminated soil and of the water surface Oil skimmed off.Photo: keystone of corruption and hanky-panky

The prominent Anti-corruption fighter Alexei Navalny criticised the fact that the head of the Supreme nature conservation authority, Svetlana Radionowa, was in a plane Potanins in the Region to fly. He asked horrified, as the authorities head could clear up the pollution, regardless, if you leave that man, of carrying the main responsibility, to invite.

Greenpeace basic action looks, however, necessary. The organization urged the authorities to check in the Arctic region, all industrial projects. With a view on the oil Spill also warn you once more in front of Russia’s future plans in the Arctic on a large scale minerals to reduce. You can see a unique biotope of the planet in danger.

(SDA /aru)

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