V.V. Yanikin, Head of Informational and Analytical Office, Nature Management and Environmental Protection Department of Astrakhan Regional Administration, magazine "Waste Recycling", No.1(13), February, 2008

GENERAL

As per the data specified on the 1^st of January 2005, Astrakhan region population totaled to 998.2 thousand of inhabitants. Covering 0.26% of the Russian Federation area the region is inhabited by 0.7% of its population. The region comprises 6 cities, 3 of which are under the regional authority (Astrakhan, Akhtubinsk and Znamensk), 152 rural settlements and 429 localities.

The region area is 44.1 thousand km²; water bodies cover the area of 695.5 thousand hectares. As compared to National Index - 8.4 inhabitants / km², density of population is rated by 23 inhabitants / km². Urban area is inhabited by 67% and rural area - by 33% of region population.

The region is under the authority of the Southern Federal District that covers the southeast of Russian Federation European area.

Astrakhan region is a frontier unit: in the east it bordered with Kazakhstan, in the north - with Volgograd region and in the west - with Kalmykia.

Endwise from the northwest to the southeast the region is of 390 km length and crosswise its length is varied from 35 km (within the area of Tzagan-Aman) to 180 km (within the delta of the Volga).

ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION

The urban areas and adjacent territories are polluted, principally, at the expense of industrial and vehicle emissions. Within the bounds of Astrakhan region some zones featured with stress and problematic ecological conditions may be picked out. In the first place, they are represented by industrial centers (e.g. Astrakhan Gas-Condensate Plant) and environment-polluting areas situated around the cities including the ones, where mineral products are mined. The above zones are of the most urgent ecological problems that must be resolved as soon as possible.

Quite an extreme ecological condition is determined within the area to be adjacent to the industrial zone of Astrakhan Gas-Condensate Plant, which emissions contain detrimental compounds (hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide etc) and negatively impact the environment.

ENVIRONMENTAL INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES

The projected activities consist of the following ones:

• Reconstruction of Astrakhan Hydroelectric Power Station along with construction of combined-cycle power plant at its territory;
• Reconstruction of gas-cleaning plants and construction of new ones for processing of fuel-energy complex, shipbuilding and engineering facility exhaust gas;
• Development and introduction of new technologies at industrial plants;
• Implementation of OJSC "AKMA" program "Protection of global ozone layer";
• Construction of bypass roads to be run around Astrakhan for the purpose of reducing the level of urban street vehicle pollution

Any activity related to planting of Astrakhan city, expansion of vegetation areas within the urban and rural territories of Astrakhan region and at its industrial sanitation-hygienic zones would undoubtedly improve the level of environmental conditions.

In future, environmental sanitation will be ensured at the expense of utilization of non-traditional energy generating sources (wind and solar energy), conversion of vehicle fuel (gas fuel) and application of new fuel catalysts.

PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION WASTE MANAGEMENT

Contamination of regional areas with production and consumption solid wastes, inadequate management of solid waste polygons, unauthorized disposal of production and consumption solid wastes at the areas of commercial and recreational value (spontaneous landfills) are the very problems with respect to Astrakhan region waste management.

Dynamics of the toxic waste to be specified in Astrakhan region extremely differ from the ones specified for national scale. If at the end of nineties, as a whole, in Russia the mass of toxic waste was increased, in Astrakhan region its amount was reduced even considering for the conditions of production growth. Due to reduction of toxic waste to have been generated within the area of the region, its industrial ecological hazards were reduced at the expense of introduction of the advanced gas-cleaning technologies.

Solid domestic wastes accumulated as a result of social, industrial and public daily activity are the remains to be widely spread over the area of the region.

Domestic wastes accumulated in Astrakhan are subject to disposal at the solid domestic waste polygon located beside rural settlement Funtovo and at the landfill of Turusovsky district. Approximately, 450 of spontaneous landfills may be numbered at the region. In 2007, upon making an inventory, the amount of 346 unauthorized Astrakhan landfills that covered the area of 35.6 hectares was revealed.

As a result of contamination of the areas with production and consumption solid wastes, the level of bacteriological and chemical contamination of atmosphere, surface and ground waters, food products is considerably increased, thus impacting region inhabitants' health.

WASTE MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES

The short-term projected activities scheduled up to 2010 consist of the following ones:

• Construction of waste-treating facilities within Provolzhsky district, beside rural settlement Tinaki-2 (Narimanovsky district) and beside rural settlement Oranzhereyi (Ikryansky district);
• Liquidation of current landfills not meeting sanitary-hygienic regulations and other unauthorized dumps;
• Rehabilitation of running production and consumption solid waste polygons;
• Construction of toxic industrial waste disposal polygon;
• Revegetation of areas littered up by spontaneous landfills

In future (up to 2005), certain kinds of activities including construction of solid domestic and industrial waste total treatment and utilization plants (subject to separate selection of domestic wastes by inhabitants), utilization of industrial and domestic wastes as secondary raw material to be used for production of consumer goods are projected.

DEGRADATION OF UNIQUE LANDSCAPES OF VOLGA-AKHTUBINSK FLOOD PLAINS AND VOLGA DELTA AS A RESULT OF ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACT

The principle of formation of Astrakhan region environmental structure is based upon a number of complex problems of ecosystem nature. The area environmental structure being specified together with nature-conservative measures are the very factor to be considered for balanced ecological development of both the area and living conditions. Its main purpose is as follows:

• Preservation of unique and reference environmental complexes;
• Preservation of flora and fauna diversity;
• Arrangement and preservation of "nature compensating zones", arrangement of protective forest belts to be used for neutralization of agricultural and industrial sectors negative influence;
• Preservation and improvement of soil productive capacity.

The problems concerned to keeping the conditions of specially protected environment areas, a number of unique landscapes and rare flora and fauna species may be found within, are the major ones Astrakhan region is used to encounter. Specially protected environment areas including the ones of international significance located in the delta of the Volga, where the protected areas border (or align) with industrial zones, agricultural areas and transport corridors, are the most problematic ones subject to occurrence of acute ecological collisions. Considering for age-old variation of Caspian Sea level with biota loosing its inhabitation and life activity conditions within the delta areas is also the problem of actual ecological significance. At last, quite serious ecological problems of specially protected environment areas are concerned with increased influence of total anthropogenic load on account not only of fast expansion of industrial zones and main traffic arteries, but due to increase of reactionary load and direct poaching.

As soon as urban lands are not able to ensure reproduction of main natural resources, the territories covered with widespread natural landscapes may be used for gaining the required ecological balance. As per 01.01.2008, the territory of Astrakhan region has a number of specially protected natural regions including two national wildlife preservations ("Astrakhansky", "Bogdinsko-Basknchaksky") with total area of 85.3 thousand hectares, 4 national special nature reserves of local importance ("Ilmenno-Bugrovoy", "Stepnoy", "Bogdinsko-Baskunchaksky", "Pesky-Berly") with total area of 132.186 thousand hectares, 8 national biologic reserves of local importance ("Bukhovsky, "Yenotayevsky", "Kabany", "Ikryaninsky", "Teplushky", "Zhirotopka", "Mininsky" and "Krestovy") with total area of 36.2 thousand hectares and 35 other protected natural objects consisting of botanic, zoological, geological, water and complex ones. Within the period of 2008-2010 there projected arrangement of Natural Park in Volga-Akhtubinsk flood plain.

Both the current conservation areas (natural parks, woodlands, water protection zones) and the projected ones should be developed not only for saving of landscapes, flora and fauna rare species, but also for opposing to negative influence of urban or rural commercial activity.

INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES INTENDED FOR IMPROVEMENT OF AREA ECOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

First-priority tasks are the following ones:

• Optimization of Astrakhan regional tourist center (rundown of camps and hotels situated within the delta of the Volga; construction of new camps within the Volga-Akhtubinsk flood plain; promotion of authorized camp ecological compatibility and comfortable conditions, development of cruise activities);
• Prohibition on building of new camps at Nikitinsky and Gandurinsky channels and Volga river within the area of district Khmelyovka due to overloading of the above area and that one that is located downstream with recreational centers;
• Equipping the water routes with rowing and sailing boats, as well as fitting out the pedestrian and horse excursion paths;
• Development and rehabilitation of "green camps" for amateur tourists to be arranged at the areas free of recreational building;
• In terms of specific significance of the delta of the Volga as a kind of large spawning water basin, annual monitoring of all the recreational objects in accordance with specially developed program.

WRONG FUNCTIONING OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITION MONITORING SYSTEM

The level of Volga downstream surface water pollution as per its hydrochemical and hydrobiological parameters is controlled by Astrakhan Surface Water Pollution Monitoring Laboratory TZGMOS at five different watercourses: over the main Volga channel within the area spread out from settlement Tzagan-Aman to Ilyinka, at the horn of Akhtuba river within the areas spread out from settlement Selitryonnoye to Podchalyk, at the horn of Buzan river within the area of settlement Krasny Yar, at the horn of Krivaya Bolda (in the upstream of inflow Rychan) and at the horn of Kamyzyak river within the area of town Kamyzyaka - totaled by 13 hydrochemical sites.

Company "Rospotrebnadzor" (FGUZ "Astrakhan Region Hygienic and Epidemiology Center") is the monitor that controls quality of water supplied via the central household water feed system. Company FGUP "CaspNIRKH" has no stationary monitoring facilities to be applied in the area of Volgo-Akhtubinsk flood plain, but in May, July and September it carries out its routine field hydrochemical monitoring within the area of Volga flood plain and delta at 8 monitoring stations (up to 40 various chemical elements and their compounds are specified), particularly, at the Glavny, Kirovsky and Belinsky banks. As for Privolzhsky Hydrogeological Field Expedition, its functions are aimed to monitoring the ground waters condition.

Within the framework of training course or grant practice, Water Problem Research Institute (Russian Academy of Science), Astrakhan State University, Astrakhan State Technical University, Astrakhan Biosphere National Park and other research activity analysts, students and instructors carry out occasional certain area expeditionary monitoring.

INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES

The key projects that needs for environmental monitoring first-priority investment shall be considered as follows:

• Monitoring of landscape biological conditions as the factor of biocenology, informative and recreational value;
• Monitoring of the most significant environmental objects determined as the ones to be of specific nature-conservative status: specially protected environment areas, international status functioning and projected national parks, biosphere polygons;
• Monitoring of biological resources as a basis of functioning of certain tourist activity branches (amateur fishing and shooting);
• Identification, registration and monitoring of environmental areas to be of specific recreational and tourist value (beaches, islands, nature sights, woodlands etc.);
• Identification, registration and monitoring of zoological objects to be of tourism activity information and demonstration value (nesting sites, as well as mammal, insect and reptile breeding sites etc.)

CONCLUSION

Thus, the today's ecological condition that is formed within the territory of Astrakhan region varies depending on its areas. Over the regional areas the natural landscapes are still capable to save their natural behavior and self-cleaning ability. Peak ecologically problematic condition takes place at the lower part of Volga-Akhtubinsk flood plain and in the delta of the Volga. The region medium part is subject to negative influence of Volgograd region industrial plants situated close to.

In total, today's Astrakhan region may be identified as the territory of moderate environmental impact.

The investment policy first-priority principles depend on the activities concerned to development of raw material base and industrial current resources: gas and oil production and fishery.

Along with development of the regional environmental structure, the key tasks are based upon conservation and recreation of landscape and biological diversity to be gained for capability of environment to self-regulation and anthropogenic effect compensation. For the purpose of this, the following activities shall be provided:

• Preservation and recreation of optimal relationship between agricultural lands, food lands and specially protected environment areas in view of stable development of region environmental condition;
• Arrangement of national park within the area of Volga-Akhtubinsk flood plain;
• Arrangement of agroecological landscape national park within the area of the Volga delta, where natural landscapes may bound to the specific agricultural fields;
• Preservation and recreation of environmental integrity including activity related to preventing of their commercial split-down as a result of construction of linear engineering infrastructures and hydraulic facilities;
• Regulation of nature management regime for the purpose of certain territories;
• Partial recreation of the ecosystem-leveled plain landscape together with conversion of the stunted plant areas to pasture-haying lands; concentration of crops at the most productive areas with use of advanced cultivation technologies.