Satellite images helped to identify the vessel, which dumped waste in the waters of Avacha Bay on September 23. This was announced on October 10 by the press service of the government of the Kamchatka Territory.
“A unified system for monitoring the environmental situation is now being worked out. This is our most important response to the environmental incident we are facing. I can say that we are already working out its individual components. So, careful monitoring of space images, remote sensing of the earth gives the first results. According to the Institute of Space Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a ship was discovered, which passed on September 23 at 7 am near Khalaktyrsky beach. Water was discharged from it, ”said the Governor of Kamchatka Vladimir Solodov.
According to him, the volume of dumped waste was insignificant and could not lead to the effect observed throughout the entire water area. However, the fact that the vessel was identified shows that the existing monitoring system allows us to seek responsibility for all violators of environmental legislation.
“We will launch complex systems in the near future. They will allow us to be sure that not a single violator, not a single person polluting the environment will escape responsibility, ”the governor added.
At the end of September, eyewitnesses reported a change in the color of the water on the Khalaktyr beach in the Pacific Ocean and about sea animals that were massively washed ashore, including in the bays of Malaya and Bolshaya Lagernye and Avachinskaya. Experts found in the coastal zone an excess of phenol and oil products by 2 and 3.6 times, respectively.
On October 8, Rosprirodnadzor presented the results of analyzes of water samples for the content of pollutants in Kamchatka. The samples showed an excess of phosphate ions by 10.8 times, total iron – 6.7 times, total phenol – 2.9 times. According to Rosprirodnadzor, excess pollutants were recorded not only in Avacha Bay, but also in the nearby rivers – Taenka, Khalaktyrka, Kirpichnaya.