Residents of the Volga regions are increasingly expressing their dissatisfaction with the shallowing of the Volga. The newspaper reports that new islands have appeared where there used to be a continuous water surface, and large rocks covered with mud and shells have been seen. “News”.
Local residents also say that sometimes rusty pipes and other objects emerge from under the water. For example, in the Saratov region you can see a barge and a boat that sank many years ago.
“We swam in the summer where we are now. I have a cabin nearby and in the summer I would come here every day to freshen up. Now we can only walk here,” said Elena from Tatarstan.
“There is very little water in the river. It is not possible to approach the islands, everywhere is covered with mud and vegetation. We drive very slowly so as not to damage the engine,” said Yuri Balkashin, a fisherman from the Saratov region.
The shallowing of the Volga attracted the attention of authorities in many regions. The heads of Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Mari El, Saratov and Ulyanovsk regions sent an appeal to President Vladimir Putin on November 1, expressing concern about the level of the Kuibyshev reservoir.
“A decrease in the reservoir level negatively affects the reproduction of water resources, the functioning of local shipping lines and poses a threat to water intake in large cities, including in winter months,” the objection states.
The State Duma of the Russian Federation also drew attention to the problem and appealed to the government and the Prosecutor General’s Office.
“The shallowing of the Volga and Don affects more than 80 million people,” said State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin.
The decrease in water volume in the Volga leads to deterioration of fish migration and spawning conditions, and also creates problems in navigation and water supply. In some regions, the Volga may freeze to the bottom.
Representatives of the company RusHydro confirmed that the water level in the Volga this autumn was lower than usual. As of the end of October, water reserves in the reservoirs of the Volga-Kama cascade amounted to 43.6 cubic kilometers, which was 29% below the annual average.
A decrease in the volume of water in the Volga can lead to an increase in the concentration of harmful substances and an increase in the salinity of the Caspian Sea. Problems may also occur with fish stocks and freezing of the reservoir in winter.
Authorities propose building low-pressure dams on the Lower Volga to ensure water supply to the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions regardless of the water level in the river. In addition, it was also proposed to adjust the operating mode of the Kuibyshev Reservoir hydroelectric complex to reduce water discharge.
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