At the end of September, the first messages from Kamchatka appeared. People complained that the color of the water in the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky region has changed. Residents were concerned about the fact that a few days later a lot of dead animals appeared on the shore.
Incident details
The first information about the incident appeared on September 29. People noted the occurrence of complaints of redness and swelling of the eyes, decreased visual acuity, nausea and sore throat, fever up to 38 degrees. Complaints arose after swimming in the water, and gradually increased after a week. This indicated chemical poisoning.
One woman noted that military scientists were passing through the territory at that time.
People from the Kuril Islands also noted the occurrence of dead animals. Strange behavior of seals from the seal family was observed.
Scientists took water for research. Indicators of oil products exceeded the norm by 3.6 times. The indicators of phenols are 2.5 times higher than the norm. There was a compound in the water that was similar in composition to technical oil. The length of the coastline on which the mass death of animals is registered is tens of kilometers. Due to the fact that bottom animals died in large numbers, the hazardous substance is very heavy.
The opinion of environmentalists and journalists
- “This incident is an environmental disaster. Khalaktyrsky beach is the best area for surfing and one of the attractions. But what caused the pollution is still a mystery,” said the head of Greenpeace in Eurasia. Yablokov.
- “The main task is to assess the scale of the disaster and the area of the contaminated territory. In the projects of the WWF Foundation, it is planned to create a survey from space. It will allow us to formulate the first versions of what happened,” said the head of the Air Force Eurasia Program on Environmental Responsibility A. Knizhnikov.
- “Greenpeace provided ocean images in chronology on September 1, 9 and 24. A slick of oil spread. No measures were taken to save the situation and reduce the consequences of the environmental disaster,” said blogger Yu. Dud.
Probable causes of the incident
- One commercial tanker was leaking. She was eliminated. But during this period, phenol oil products could seep into the water. The ownership of the tanker has not yet been determined. But in the Pacific Ocean there are various sea vessels for the transport of goods.
- According to another version, the base of the Pacific Navy is located in the ocean. It may be related to the military. But it’s a big problem, it’s not like sinking a ship. Since the defeat of the Pacific goes to great depths.
- Near the beach is a military training ground. Hazardous substances may be located on its territory. It was planned to be liquidated in 2018, as it poses a danger to the ecology of the environment. This has not been implemented at the moment.
- At the foot of the Kozelsky volcano are chemicals. They could cause what happened.
The alleged version of the incident is a long leak of oil products. But the exact reason is not known, a detailed investigation occurs.
Ecological disaster in Kamchatka Rain TV channel
YouTube channel “Talk” with Irina Shikhman
Kamchatka was poisoned? Environmental disaster in the Pacific Ocean
