The Federal Environmental Operator, subordinate to Rosatom, has been identified as the sole executor of work to eliminate the accumulated environmental damage in Usolye-Sibirskoye. On August 25, the chairman of the interdepartmental working group, Deputy Prime Minister Victoria Abramchenko, told Izvestia about this.
“Working on the elimination of accumulated environmental harm requires unique experience, competencies, serious technical training. Therefore, specialists from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and Rosatom are already working on the territory. Some hazardous facilities on the industrial site require immediate elimination. Much attention will be paid to the safety of the work carried out, multi-level protection is provided – systems for suppressing possible emissions and constant environmental monitoring, both on the territory of “Usoliekhimprom” and beyond, “she said.
The order on the appointment of the executor was signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The dismantling and demercurization of the structures of the mercury electrolysis workshop, which is the main source of pollution of the territory, are named as the top-priority measures to be completed in 2020.
In addition, it is necessary to bring into a safe state five emergency tanks containing waste of I and II hazard classes. The task was also set to create protective impervious screens along the Angara coast. 434.8 million rubles were allocated for the implementation of all these measures.
On August 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the allocation of funds from the federal budget to solve environmental problems in Usolye-Sibirskoye. The Russian leader instructed to create an interdepartmental working group, develop a plan for the disposal and elimination of waste accumulated there, and in three months to report on the results of the first stage of work.
An emergency regime was introduced in the city of Usolye-Sibirskoye in the fall of 2018 due to the emergence of an emergency threat on the territory of the Usoliekhimprom LLC industrial site, Gazeta.ru notes.