Environmental problems of water bodies in Russia. Geoecological problems of water resources use

Water resources and problems of their rational use

Water resources and their use. Water occupies a special position among the natural resources of the Earth. The famous Russian and Soviet geologist Academician A.P. Karpinsky said that there is no more precious mineral than water, without which life is impossible.

The basis of Russia's water resources is river flow, which averages 4262 km3 per year, of which about 90% falls in the basins of the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The basins of the Caspian and Azov Seas, where over 80% of Russia's population lives and its main industrial and agricultural potential is concentrated, account for less than 8% of the total river flow.

Currently, the availability of water per person per day varies in different countries of the world. In a number of countries with developed economies, the threat of water shortages is imminent. The shortage of fresh water on earth is growing exponentially. However, there are promising sources of fresh water - icebergs born from the glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland.

A person cannot live without water. Water is one of the most important factors determining the location of productive forces, and very often a means of production. The increase in water consumption by industry is associated not only with its rapid development, but also with an increase in water consumption per unit of production. For example, factories spend 250 m3 of water to produce 1 ton of cotton fabric. The chemical industry requires a lot of water. Thus, the production of 1 ton of ammonia requires about 1000 m3 of water.

Modern large thermal power plants consume huge amounts of water. Only one station with a capacity of 300 thousand kW consumes up to 120 m3/s, or more than 300 million m3 per year. Gross water consumption for these stations will increase approximately 9-10 times in the future.

One of the most significant water consumers is agriculture. It is the largest water consumer in the water management system. Growing 1 ton of wheat requires 1,500 m3 of water during the growing season, 1 ton of rice requires more than 7,000 m3. The high productivity of irrigated lands has stimulated a sharp increase in the area worldwide - it is now equal to 200 million hectares. Constituting about 1/6 of the total crop area, irrigated lands provide approximately half of agricultural products.

A special place in the use of water resources is occupied by water consumption for the needs of the population. Household and drinking purposes in our country account for about 10% of water consumption. At the same time, uninterrupted water supply, as well as strict adherence to scientifically based sanitary and hygienic standards, are mandatory.

The use of water for economic purposes is one of the links in the water cycle in nature. But the anthropogenic link of the cycle differs from the natural one in that during the process of evaporation, part of the water used by humans returns to the atmosphere desalinated. The other part (which, for example, makes up 90% for water supply to cities and most industrial enterprises) is discharged into water bodies in the form of wastewater contaminated with industrial waste.

According to the State Water Cadastre, the total water intake from natural water bodies in 1995 amounted to 96.9 km3. More than 70 km3 was used for the needs of the national economy, including for:

industrial water supply – 46 km3;

irrigation – 13.1 km3;

agricultural water supply – 3.9 km3;

other needs – 7.5 km3.

Industry needs were met by 23% by drawing water from natural water bodies and by 77% by a system of recycling and re-sequential water supply.

Drinking water supply. The basic principles of drinking water supply are:

state guarantees of priority provision of drinking water to citizens in order to meet their vital needs and protect their health;

state control and regulation of drinking water supply issues, accountability of organizations responsible for drinking water supply to executive authorities and local governments, as well as state supervision and control authorities, civil defense and emergency authorities within their competence;

ensuring the safety, reliability and controllability of drinking water supply systems, taking into account their technological features and the selection of a water supply source based on uniform standards and regulations in force in the Russian Federation, priority use of underground sources for drinking water supply;

accounting and payment for drinking water supply;

state support for the production and supply of equipment, materials for drinking water supply, as well as chemicals for water purification and disinfection;

classifying drinking water supply systems as important life support facilities.

It is of great importance to meet the needs of the population for drinking water in their places of residence through centralized or non-centralized drinking water supply systems.

In the Russian Federation, centralized water supply systems operate in 1,052 cities (99% of the total number of cities) and 1,785 urban-type settlements (81%). However, in many cities there is a lack of water supply capacity. In Russia as a whole, the shortage of water supply capacity exceeds 10 million m3/day, or 10% of the installed capacity.

The sources of centralized water supply are surface water, the share of which in the total volume of water intake is 68%, and groundwater – 32%.

Almost all surface water supplies have been exposed to harmful anthropogenic pollution in recent years, especially rivers such as the Volga, Don, Northern Dvina, Ufa, Tobol, Tom and other rivers of Siberia and the Far East. 70% of surface waters and 30% of underground waters have lost their drinking value and moved into the categories of pollution - “conditionally clean” and “dirty”. Almost 70% of the population of the Russian Federation consume water that does not comply with GOST “Drinking water”.

Over the past 10 years, the volume of financing for water management activities in Russia has been reduced 11 times. As a result, the conditions of water supply to the population worsened.

The processes of degradation of surface water bodies are increasing due to the discharge of contaminated wastewater into them by enterprises and facilities of housing and communal services, petrochemical, oil, gas, coal, meat, forestry, woodworking and pulp and paper industries, as well as ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, sewerage collection - drainage water from irrigated lands contaminated with toxic chemicals and pesticides.

The depletion of river water resources continues under the influence of economic activities. The possibilities of irreversible water withdrawal in the basins of the Kuban, Don, Terek, Ural, Iset, Miass and a number of other rivers have been practically exhausted.

The condition of small rivers is unfavorable, especially in the areas of large industrial centers. Significant damage to small rivers is caused in rural areas due to violation of the special regime of economic activity in water protection zones and coastal protective strips, leading to river pollution, as well as soil loss as a result of water erosion.

Pollution of groundwater used for water supply is increasing. About 1,200 sources of groundwater pollution have been identified in the Russian Federation, of which 86% are located in the European part. Deterioration in water quality was noted in 76 cities and towns, at 175 water intakes. Many underground sources, especially those supplying large cities in the Central, Central Black Earth, North Caucasus and other regions, are severely depleted, as evidenced by a decrease in the sanitary water level, in some places reaching tens of meters.

The total consumption of contaminated water at water intakes is 5-6% of the total amount of groundwater used for domestic and drinking water supply.

About 500 areas have been discovered in Russia where groundwater is contaminated with sulfates, chlorides, compounds of nitrogen, copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, and mercury, the levels of which are tens of times higher than the maximum permissible concentration.

Due to increased pollution of water sources, traditionally used water treatment technologies are in most cases insufficiently effective. The efficiency of water treatment is negatively affected by the shortage of reagents and the low level of equipment of water stations, automation and control devices. The situation is aggravated by the fact that 40% of the internal surfaces of pipelines are corroded and covered with rust, therefore, during transportation, the quality of water further deteriorates.

State control and supervision in the field of drinking water supply is carried out by bodies and institutions of the state sanitary and epidemiological service in interaction with state environmental control bodies and state bodies for managing the use and protection of the water fund. Accounting for the amount of water consumed from centralized drinking water supply systems is carried out by housing and communal services authorities.

Drinking water supply development programs are an integral part of the socio-economic development plans of the territories. The design, construction and reconstruction of centralized and non-centralized drinking water supply systems are carried out in accordance with the calculated indicators of master plans for the development of territories, building codes and regulations, state standards, sanitary rules and norms. At the same time, the requirements for ensuring the reliability of these systems when exposed to destabilizing factors of natural (landslides, flooding, aquifer depletion, etc.) and man-made origin must be taken into account.

The main consumer of water is the population (81%), 11% is used in industry, and the rest in the domestic sector.

The state enterprise Mosvodokanal has developed and is implementing, with the support of the Moscow government, a comprehensive program for the rational use of water. It is technically possible to reach a consumption rate of 180-200 liters per day per person. In 1997, as a result of the establishment of municipal services, water consumption per Muscovite decreased by 10%. It is planned to include funding for water saving measures in the Moscow budget.

To eliminate drinking water leaks, Mosvodokanal has developed a device with ceramic gaskets. Experiments on replacing old plumbing fixtures showed that specific water consumption is reduced from 396 to 216 liters in houses built in 1990 and from 628 to 382 liters in 1962. Modernization and installation of all equipment using Mosvodokanal developments made it possible to reduce electricity consumption by half and almost by Reduce hot water consumption by 20%.

Classification of water uses. For water use, the following classification criteria are established: purposes of water use; water use facilities; technical conditions for water use; conditions for providing water bodies for use; nature of water use; method of using water bodies; impact of water use on water bodies.

According to the purposes of water use, they are divided into household and drinking, municipal needs of the population, for medical, resort and health purposes, agricultural needs, irrigation and water supply, industrial needs, heat power needs, territorial redistribution of surface water flow and replenishment of groundwater reserves, hydropower needs, needs water transport and timber rafting, fisheries needs, wastewater discharge, other needs, multi-purpose water use.

Based on water use objects, waters are divided into surface, underground, internal, and sea.

According to the technical conditions of water use - general and special.

According to the conditions for providing water bodies for water use - joint and separate.

By the nature of its use, water is considered as a substance with certain properties, as mass and energy potential, and as a living environment.

According to the method of using water bodies - with water withdrawal (with and without return), without water withdrawal.

According to the impact of water use on water bodies - quantitative and qualitative.

Sources of water pollution. Sources of pollution are recognized as objects from which discharge or otherwise enter water bodies of harmful substances that worsen the quality of surface waters, limit their use, and also negatively affect the condition of the bottom and coastal water bodies.

The protection of water bodies from pollution is carried out by regulating the activities of both stationary and other sources of pollution.

On the territory of Russia, almost all water bodies are subject to anthropogenic influence. The water quality in most of them does not meet regulatory requirements. Long-term observations of the dynamics of surface water quality have revealed a tendency towards an increase in their pollution. Every year the number of sites with high levels of water pollution (more than 10 MPC) and the number of cases of extremely high pollution of water bodies (over 100 MPC) increases.

The main sources of pollution of water bodies are enterprises of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, chemical and petrochemical industries, pulp and paper, and light industry.

Land water pollution. Microbial water pollution occurs as a result of the entry of pathogenic microorganisms into water bodies. Thermal water pollution is also identified as a result of the influx of heated wastewater.

Pollutants can be divided into several groups. Based on their physical state, they distinguish between insoluble, colloidal and soluble impurities. In addition, contaminants are divided into mineral, organic, bacterial and biological.

The degree of danger of pesticide drift during the treatment of agricultural land depends on the method of application and the form of the drug. With ground processing, the danger of polluting water bodies is less. During aerial treatment, the drug can be carried hundreds of meters by air currents and deposited on untreated areas and the surface of water bodies.

Reservoirs and hydraulic structures. In the hydrographic network of Russia, artificial reservoirs - reservoirs (reservoirs of slow water exchange) are playing an increasingly important role, designed to equalize and regulate flow, as well as ensure the operation of power plants, irrigation systems, etc. In order to balance the supply of water resources, Russia has implemented a broad program of water management and hydropower construction. At the same time, the regulation of rivers with dams and the formation of reservoirs also has negative sides.

In 1997, the government of the Russian Federation adopted a resolution “On the procedure for operating reservoirs.” The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, together with the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the federation and organizations whose activities affect the ecological state of reservoirs, ensures, in accordance with the established procedure, the development and implementation in agreement with the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Russian Federation, the State Committee for Environmental Protection, the Federal Service forestry, state sanitary and epidemiological surveillance authorities and other interested organizations anti-erosion, forestry and other measures to prevent water erosion of soils, pollution, clogging, siltation and depletion of reservoirs, maintaining a favorable water regime and water quality, improving conditions for water use by the population and animal habitats and plants.

Maintenance of reservoirs provided for special use in proper technical and sanitary condition is carried out by the organizations in whose use they are located.

Hydraulic structures include dams, hydroelectric power station buildings, drainage, drainage and water outlet structures, tunnels, canals, pumping stations, shipping locks, ship lifts, structures designed to protect against floods and destruction of the banks of reservoirs, banks and river bottoms, structures (dams), enclosing storage facilities for liquid waste from industrial and agricultural organizations, devices against erosion on canals, as well as other structures for using water resources and preventing the harmful effects of water and liquid waste.

On the territory of Russia there are 3 thousand reservoirs and several hundred reservoirs of industrial wastewater and waste, belonging to different forms of ownership, belonging to various ministries and departments. Up to 12% of them have been in operation without reconstruction for more than 50 years

The deterioration and aging of fixed assets in the water sector, the liquidation of a number of management bodies, the emergence of various forms of ownership, and the lack of proper supervision over safe operation make it increasingly possible to break through reservoir dams and wastewater storage tanks, which can lead to catastrophic consequences and threaten the natural basis of human life.

Based on the statistics of accidents at dams (1% of their total number), it can be assumed that in the coming years, due to wear and tear of fixed assets, up to 10-15 accidents with catastrophic consequences may occur at hydraulic structures. According to Roskomvod, about 12% of pressure hydraulic structures of reservoirs and about 20% of liquid industrial waste storage tanks are in emergency or pre-emergency condition. First of all, this applies to the Krasnodar hydroelectric complex, Shershnevsky, Argazinsky, Dolgobrodsky, and Kyshtym hydroelectric complexes in the Chelyabinsk region, Pravdinsky in the Kaliningrad region, Kuzminsky hydroelectric complex on the Oka in the Moscow region and a number of other similar structures.

Many tailings and sludge dumps are filled above design levels, which can lead to serious consequences. The task is to neutralize toxic substances in industrial waste entering these storage facilities and to ensure systematic control over the purity of water discharged from tailings storage facilities into open water bodies.

In the last two or three years, due to financial problems, repair and maintenance work on a number of reservoirs listed on the balance sheet of metallurgical plants has practically ceased. Meanwhile, they are in a pre-emergency and emergency condition and require complete restoration and major repairs.

The Federal Law “Law on the Safety of Hydraulic Structures” regulates relations arising during the design, construction, commissioning, restoration, conservation and liquidation of hydraulic structures; establishes the responsibilities of public authorities, owners of hydraulic structures and operating structures.

Self-purification of reservoirs. Each body of water is a complex system inhabited by bacteria, higher aquatic plants, and various invertebrate animals. Their combined activity ensures the self-purification of water bodies. One of the environmental tasks is to support the ability of self-purification of water bodies from impurities.

Factors of self-purification of water bodies can be divided into three groups: physical, chemical and biological.

Among the physical factors, dilution, dissolution and mixing of incoming contaminants are of paramount importance. Good mixing and reduced concentrations of suspended particles are ensured by the fast flow of rivers. The self-purification of reservoirs is facilitated by the settling of insoluble sediments to the bottom, as well as the settling of polluted waters. In zones with a temperate climate, the river cleans itself after 200-300 km from the place of pollution, and in the Far North – after 2 thousand km.

Water disinfection occurs under the influence of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The disinfection effect is achieved by the direct destructive effect of ultraviolet rays on protein colloids and enzymes of the protoplasm of microbial cells, as well as spore organisms and viruses.

Among the chemical factors of self-purification of reservoirs, oxidation of organic and inorganic substances should be noted. The self-purification of a reservoir is often assessed in relation to easily oxidized organic matter or by the total content of organic matter.

The sanitary regime of a reservoir is characterized primarily by the amount of oxygen dissolved in it. It should be at least 4 mg per 1 liter of water at any time of the year for reservoirs of the first and second types. The first type includes reservoirs used for drinking water supply to enterprises, the second type includes those used for swimming, sporting events, and those located within populated areas.

Biological factors of self-purification of a reservoir include algae, mold and yeast. However, phytoplankton does not always have a positive effect on self-purification processes: in some cases, the massive development of blue-green algae in artificial reservoirs can be considered a process of self-pollution.

Representatives of the animal world can also contribute to the self-purification of water bodies from bacteria and viruses. Thus, the oyster and some other amoebas adsorb intestinal and other viruses. Each mollusk filters more than 30 liters of water per day.

The cleanliness of water bodies is unthinkable without protecting their vegetation. Only on the basis of deep knowledge of the ecology of each reservoir and effective control over the development of the various living organisms inhabiting it can positive results be achieved, transparency and high biological productivity of rivers, lakes and reservoirs ensured.

Other factors also adversely affect the self-purification processes of water bodies. Chemical pollution of water bodies with industrial wastewater, nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) inhibits natural oxidative processes and kills microorganisms. The same applies to the discharge of thermal wastewater by thermal power plants.

A multi-stage process, sometimes extending over a long time, is self-purification of oil. Under natural conditions, the complex of physical processes of self-purification of water from oil consists of a number of components: evaporation; settling of lumps, especially those overloaded with sediment and dust; sticking together of lumps suspended in the water column; floating of lumps forming a film with inclusions of water and air; reducing the concentrations of suspended and dissolved oil due to settling, floating and mixing with clean water. The intensity of these processes depends on the properties of a particular type of oil (density, viscosity, coefficient of thermal expansion), the presence of colloids, suspended and transportable plankton particles, etc. in water, air temperature and solar illumination.

Sanitary conditions for wastewater discharge. Reservoirs and watercourses (water bodies) are considered polluted if the composition and properties of water in them have changed under the direct or indirect influence of industrial activities and domestic use by the population and have become partially or completely unsuitable for one of the types of water use. The suitability of the composition and properties of surface waters used for domestic and drinking water supply and cultural and everyday needs of the population, as well as for fishery purposes, is determined by their compliance with the requirements and standards at the same time. If a water body or its section is used for various needs of the national economy, more stringent standards for the quality of surface water should be used when determining the conditions for wastewater discharge.

The composition and properties of water and water bodies must be monitored at a site located on watercourses 1 km above the nearest water use points downstream, and on stagnant reservoirs and reservoirs - 1 km on both sides of the water use point.

The composition and properties of water in reservoirs or watercourses at points of drinking and cultural and domestic water use must comply with the standards in all respects.

It is prohibited to discharge into water bodies: a) wastewater containing substances or products of transformation of substances in water for which MPCs have not been established, as well as substances for which there are no analytical control methods; b) wastewater, which can be eliminated by organizing waste-free production, rational technology, maximum use in recycling and reuse water supply systems after appropriate treatment and disinfection in industry, urban agriculture and for irrigation in agriculture; c) untreated or insufficiently treated industrial, household wastewater and surface runoff from the territories of industrial sites and populated areas.

It is prohibited to discharge wastewater containing pathogens of infectious diseases into water bodies. Wastewater hazardous in terms of epidemics can be discharged into water bodies only after appropriate treatment and disinfection.

It is prohibited to allow leaks into water bodies from oil and product pipelines, oil fields, as well as the discharge of garbage, untreated sewage, sludge, ballast water and leakage of other substances from floating water transport vehicles.

It is prohibited on water bodies used primarily for water supply to the population, moth rafting of timber, as well as rafting of wood, in bundles and bags without ship traction.

It is not allowed to discharge wastewater into water bodies used for water and mud treatment, as well as into water bodies located within the sanitary protection districts of resorts.

The wastewater discharge point should be located downstream of the river from the border of the populated area and all places of water use by the population, taking into account the possibility of reverse flow during surge winds. The location of wastewater discharge into stagnant and low-flow water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, etc.) should be determined taking into account sanitary, meteorological and hydrological conditions in order to eliminate the negative impact of wastewater release on the water use of the population.

Discharge of wastewater into water bodies within a populated area through existing outlets is permitted only in exceptional cases with an appropriate feasibility study and in agreement with state sanitary control authorities.

It is prohibited to accept into operation facilities with deficiencies, deviations from the approved design that do not ensure compliance with standard water quality, as well as without approbation, testing and checking the operation of all installed equipment and mechanisms.

Water protection zones. According to the Water Code of the Russian Federation, to maintain

water bodies in a state that meets environmental requirements, water protection zones are established to prevent pollution, clogging and depletion of surface water, as well as to preserve the habitat of flora and fauna. Within water protection zones, coastal protective strips are established where it is prohibited to plow the land, cut down and uproot forests, place livestock farms and camps, and conduct other activities.

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Sumy State University

Department of Economics

ODZ by discipline:

"Economics of Natural Resources"

"Problems in the use of water resources"

Performed:

student of group EDz51s

Tserkovitskaya T.V.

Checked by: Chigrin E.Yu.

Introduction

1. The role and significance of water in nature, life and human activity
2. Water reserves on the planet and its distribution
3. World water problems
4. Use of water resources in Ukraine
5. Water quality
6. Problems of water resources in Ukraine
7. Problems of water resources of Sumy region

Maintaining

Water resources are among the most important factors in the economic and social development of the region and the country as a whole. The direction and scale of development and placement of productive forces, especially water-intensive industries, depend on the condition and availability of water resources. Their current production and economic activities are largely related to the use of water resources - water use.

In the 21st century, the water resources of most countries of the world will become a decisive factor in their economic development and environmental safety. According to UNESCO, today 1.5 billion people in the world do not have access to quality drinking water, and according to forecasts of the World Meteorological Organization, by 2020 the entire population of our planet may face a lack of drinking water. In Ukraine, the large-scale transformation of natural ecosystems, the attraction of significant volumes of water resources into economic circulation, their pollution, changes in the operating conditions of landscapes, disrupted the natural balance, sharply reduced the quality of water resource potential, and led to the loss of the self-regenerating and self-purifying ability of aquatic ecosystems. As a result, modern water resource problems have acquired national significance and have become one of the main factors in the national security of Ukraine.

Of the Europeans, we are one of the least supplied with fresh water - 1 thousand m 3 per inhabitant per year. The main water artery of the state, the Dnieper, carries a huge anthropogenic load. Tens of thousands of industrial and agricultural enterprises, 4 nuclear power plants, 50 powerful irrigation systems, 50 cities with developed industrial infrastructure drink from the river basin. And they drink carelessly: according to UNESCO, in terms of rational water use, Ukraine ranks 92nd among 122 countries.

One can only guess about the true level of pollution of Ukrainian water. According to official statistics, out of 9.1 billion m 3 that ended up in Ukrainian reservoirs, 2.9 billion m 3 were polluted. Water reaches Zaporozhye that has already been used 5-6 times for various economic purposes - its qualities do not fully meet the needs of industry, not to mention its use as drinking water.

According to experts, in Ukraine the category “tap water” ceases to be drinkable - even if ultra-modern treatment facilities are installed in the city, the water supply system (usually equipment from the 70s) will bring a noticeably spoiled product to the end consumer.

1. The role and importance of water in nature, life and human activity

The water shell of the Earth, called the hydrosphere, is formed by the World Ocean, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, glaciers, groundwater and soil moisture.

Water appeared on the surface of our planet 3 - 3.5 billion years ago in the form of vapor due to degassing of the mantle. Currently, the mass of water is about 0.02% of the mass of the globe, its volume is 1.45-10 9 km 3.

Covering 70% of the Earth's surface, water is a vital element for the existence of all living organisms, including humans.

Therefore, the purpose of water as a natural resource is to support the vital needs of humans, as well as the animal and plant world.

Water is present throughout the biosphere: not only in reservoirs, but also in the air, soil, and in all living beings.

One of the main properties of water as a component of the biosphere and as a natural resource is its irreplaceability. While many types of mineral resources are, in principle, interchangeable, water is not. It is the basis of all life processes, the main source of oxygen in the main driving process on the planet - photosynthesis.

The loss of 20 - 30% of moisture by a living organism leads to its death. A person dies without water on the eighth day. Only in the presence of water do complex metabolic processes occur within organisms.

Water is an important climate-forming factor; its heat capacity is 3.3 thousand times greater than the heat capacity of air. Absorbing a huge amount of thermal energy and slowly releasing it, water serves as a regulator of climate processes on a global scale.

Water also acts as one of the most important factors that modified the earth's surface. Water resources have always occupied a special position in human life and activity. Man has long settled near water sources: rivers, lakes, ponds, or on sea shores. Almost all the great civilizations of antiquity arose near large rivers. The availability of water often determined the fate of countries and peoples. Water springs were previously (and in some countries even now) worshiped as pagan deities, they were called by the names of saints. Water is one of the most important sources of energy and means of communication; without water, human production and economic activity is impossible, and success in agriculture directly depends on optimal irrigation of crops.

Water is an essential component of almost all technological processes in both agricultural and industrial production. It acts sometimes as a raw material, sometimes as a coolant, sometimes as a transport system, sometimes as an intermediate stage of production, sometimes as a solvent, and almost always as a medium that removes waste. Water is a subject of work and rest, it heals ailments, inspires poets, composers and artists. All great geographical discoveries were made by seafarers, and the exploration and settlement of continents, as is known, also took place mainly along waterways. Thus, water is a unique and irreplaceable natural resource on which the physical and economic well-being of human society depends.

2. Water reserves on the planet and its distribution

The total volume of water on Earth is, according to domestic scientists Kalinin and Bykov, who compiled the World Water Balance - 1 billion. 386 million km 3. More than 97% of this volume comes from the waters of the World Ocean.

Table 1. World water reserves

Fresh water reserves, according to the latest data, amount to 35 million km 3, i.e. only 2% of the total reserves, and taking into account the unavailable for use of some of the fresh waters preserved in the form of ice in the polar glaciers - 0.3% of the volume of the hydrosphere.

Table 2. Distribution of freshwater resources

Fresh water reserves suitable for direct use are estimated at just over 35 million km 3 or 2.5% of the total, but only 0.3% is suitable for use.

That is, for every inhabitant of the Earth there is an average of more than 8 million m 3 of fresh water. However, it should be noted here that about 70% of fresh water reserves are concentrated in various types of ice and underground, at a depth of 150-200 m, which creates certain difficulties in its use.

The waters of rivers and lakes are the most accessible for use; they are the main sources of water supply for humans.

The reserve of fresh water in river beds and lakes is about 93 thousand km 3.

Fresh water is water containing no more than 1 g of salts per liter. The salinity of ocean water is on average 35g per liter.

Having an idea of ​​the amount of fresh water on Earth, we can say with some accuracy how much water can be used without damaging the biosphere, so as not to upset the water balance.

It has been established that the annual volume of water that human society can use for its needs should not exceed the volume annually renewed as a result of natural processes.

This volume is approximately equal to the total annual flow of rivers into the ocean and, according to the latest data, is 37.3 thousand. km 3.

Knowing what water resources humanity may have, it is very important to establish its real needs for water and assess whether they are adequate to the capabilities of the hydrosphere.

To do this, first of all, it is necessary to note that water resources are unevenly distributed across the globe. The water supply of the territory in various regions of the planet is for the most part inconsistent with the population size and the location of industrial and agricultural production.

Europe and Asia, for example, contain 77% of the world's population, but only 38% of the world's annually renewable freshwater reserves. But the population of South America is only 5%, and water resources reach 25% of the total annual flow of the world's rivers.

3. World problems in the use of water resources

About one third of the world's population lives in countries suffering from freshwater scarcity, where water consumption exceeds 10% of renewable water supplies. By the mid-1990s, about 80 countries, accounting for 40% of the world's population, experienced acute water shortages. It is estimated that in less than 25 years, two thirds of the world's population will live in countries where freshwater is scarce. By 2020, water consumption is expected to increase by 40%, with 17% more water needed to meet the food needs of a growing population.

Over the last century, the increase in demand for fresh water has been driven by three main factors - population growth, industrial development and the expansion of irrigated agriculture. In developing countries, agriculture has accounted for the majority of freshwater use over the past two decades. Planners have always assumed that growing demands for freshwater will be met by harnessing an ever-increasing share of the hydrological cycle through the creation of ever-increasing infrastructure. The construction of dams has become one of the main ways to increase the available water resources needed for irrigation, hydroelectric power generation and meeting utility needs. About 60% of the world's 227 largest rivers are dissected by dams, diversion structures or canals, affecting freshwater ecosystems. All this infrastructure allowed for water developments such as increased food production and hydroelectric power. Costs have also become significant. Over the past 50 years, dams have transformed the Earth's river systems, causing the displacement of 40 million to 80 million people in different parts of the world and irreversibly changing many ecosystems.

The priority given to the construction of hydraulic structures, coupled with lax enforcement of established water regulations, has limited the effectiveness of water resource management, especially in developing countries. Currently, the development of new strategies has switched from solving water resource problems to managing demand, giving the main place to a set of measures to provide fresh water resources needed by various sectors of the economy. These measures include improving water efficiency, pricing policies and privatization. Recently, much attention has been paid to integrated water resources management, which takes into account the needs of all stakeholders in water resources management and development.

Agriculture uses more than 70% of fresh water extracted from lakes, rivers and underground sources. The bulk of this water is used for irrigation, which provides about 40% of global food production. Over the past 30 years, the area of ​​irrigated land has increased from 200 million to more than 270 million hectares. World water consumption increased over the same period from 2,500 to more than 3,500 cubic meters. km. Unsustainable management of water resources has caused salinization of about 20% of the world's irrigated areas, and 1.5 million hectares of new land are subject to salinization every year, which significantly reduces agricultural production. The countries most susceptible to salinity are located mainly within arid and semiarid regions.

In response to growing demand for water, national action programs have been adopted, water policies have been reviewed and reformed, and water efficiency incentives and irrigation technology transfer have begun. At the global level, FAO initiated the creation of the global information system AQUASTAT in 1993, which accumulates and provides data on water use in agriculture.

The continued use of untreated water remains one of the greatest public health risks in many of the poorest countries. While the number of people using piped water services increased from 79% (4.1 billion people) in 1990 to 82% (4.9 billion people) in 2000, 1.1 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.4 billion live in unsanitary conditions. Most of these people live in Africa and Asia. Lack of access to water and sanitation systems results in hundreds of millions of cases of water-related illnesses and more than 5 million human deaths each year. Moreover, in many developing countries the problem has serious but difficult to measure adverse economic impacts.

The importance of meeting basic human needs for water has already played a significant role in shaping water policies. One of the first comprehensive conferences on water resources took place in 1977 in Mar del Plata (Argentina). The focus was on the needs of the population, resulting in the proclamation of the International Decade for Water Supply and Sanitation (1981 to 1990), as well as serious efforts by the UN and other international organizations to meet the basic needs of the population in this area. The commitment to meeting people's basic water needs was reaffirmed in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, and the program of action was expanded to include environmental needs for fresh water. As stated in one of the latest UN reports, all people should have access to the required amount of good-quality water for drinking and sanitation needs. Finally, in 2000, at the Second World Forum and Ministerial Conference in The Hague, a statement was adopted on behalf of more than 100 ministers, again emphasizing basic human needs as a priority for states, international organizations and donors.

A separate important problem remains the centralized water supply and sanitary and hygienic provision of the urban population. During the first half of the 1990s, about 170 million urban residents in developing countries were provided with adequate water, and another 70 million gained access to modern sanitation systems. However, this had only a limited effect, since by the end of 1994, about 300 million urban residents still did not have running water, and almost 600 million did not have sewerage. The remarkable progress that has been made in many developing countries over the past 30 years has been attributed to investment in wastewater treatment, which has halted or even improved the deterioration of surface water quality.

Use of water resources in Ukraine.

The main sources of fresh water on the territory of Ukraine are the runoff of the Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug, Seversky Donets, Danube rivers with tributaries, as well as small rivers on the northern coast of the Black and Azov Seas.

The total amount of flows of Ukrainian rivers without the Danube in an average year of water content is 87.1 billion m 3, decreasing in a low-water year to 55.9 billion m 3. Directly on the territory of the state, 52.4 and 29.7 billion m3 of water are formed, respectively, the rest comes from adjacent territories. The water resources of the Danube average 123 billion m3 of water per year.

The predicted resources of groundwater of drinking quality are distributed extremely unevenly on the territory of Ukraine and amount to 22.5 billion m 3 per year (61.7 million m 3 per day), of which 8.9 billion m 3 (24.4 million m 3 per day) are not hydraulically related to surface runoff and constitute an additional component to surface runoff. Groundwater water intake in the forecast resources is 21%, which indicates the possibility of their wider use in many areas.

In order to provide the population and national economy with the necessary amount of water, 1087 reservoirs with a total volume of over 55 billion m3, 7 large canals with a length of about 2000 kilometers supplying over 1000 m3 of water per second, 10 large water pipelines of large diameter, which supplies water to low-water regions of Ukraine.

The annual runoff is very variable over time - most of it occurs during the spring flood (60 - 70% of the total runoff per year in the north and up to 80 - 90% in the south of the country), uneven and across the territory. The fewest water resources are where the largest water consumers are concentrated - Donbass, Krivorozhye, Crimea, and southern regions. Groundwater reserves are unevenly distributed across the territory of Ukraine, namely groundwater provides up to 54% of domestic and drinking water supply, or 17% of total water consumption in the country. In addition to river and underground fresh waters, lake waters are of certain interest, but due to their small quantity and level regime, they cannot be a reliable source of water supply.

This, so to speak, is the basic potential of water resources, which must be used rationally. Today, surface water sources and underground waters of the uppermost aquifer (groundwater), among which the latter are the basis for drinking and domestic water supply in rural areas, are polluted and their quality is assessed as unsatisfactory. Fresh water consumption in Ukraine per unit of produced product significantly exceeds such indicators in developed European countries: France - 2.5 times, Germany - 4.3 times, Great Britain and Sweden - 4.2 times.

Ukraine has a fairly high level of provision of the population with centralized water supply. The average daily water consumption per city resident in Ukraine is 320 liters, while in large European cities this figure is 100 - 200 liters.

On average, more water is consumed in Ukraine for domestic needs than in most European countries. However, a more detailed analysis shows that this average does not yet mean a high level of living comfort in Ukraine. More than a quarter of the housing stock in urban settlements is not even equipped with cold water inlets. The population that lives in them uses water from standpipes, which means that the specific water consumption of this population does not exceed 60 - 80 l/day. Centralized water supply systems in the Dnieper basin in Ukraine cover 100% of cities, 89% of towns and about 20% of villages. 94% of cities, 50% of towns and about 3% of villages are provided with centralized sewerage systems.

The population that lives in urban settlements in the Dnieper basin is largely provided with water supply and sewerage. Residents of rural settlements are provided with water use systems only by 24%.

Table 3. Water supply to Ukrainian settlements

The main source of water supply in Ukraine is surface water (up to 80%), in particular, the river basin. The Dnieper provides up to 70% of the population with drinking water.

It should be noted that 12.1% of households in rural areas of the Dnieper region have a basic set of amenities (centralized gas supply, water supply, sewerage). This indicator is sharply differentiated by region - from 34.8% in the Donetsk region to less than 1% in the Kirovograd region. The regions with the worst improvement of the rural housing stock include Chernigov, Zaporozhye, Vinnitsa and Nikolaev regions. The situation is best in the Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov and Kherson regions.

In the Dnieper region, 16.7% of households have comfortable housing (hot water supply, bath or shower, home telephone). The lowest rates are observed in Sumy, Khmelnitsky, Kirovograd and Chernihiv regions (up to 8%), and the highest - in Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk regions (over 20% of households).

Thus, the majority of rural settlements in the Ukrainian part of the Dnieper basin have unsatisfactory conditions for the improvement of the housing stock, in particular the level of water supply and sewerage systems. According to experts, the situation in rural areas is one of the worst in Europe.

Water use in industry in the Ukrainian part of the Dnieper River basin in 2000 amounted to 4.37 billion cubic meters. m and has decreased by 2.1 times since 1990. The largest amount of water for industrial purposes was used from the Dnieper River bed - 37.7 billion cubic meters. m or 86%. At the same time, 83% of water for industrial purposes is used by three regions: Zaporozhye - 1360 million cubic meters. m, Dnepropetrovsk - 1284 and Kiev - 939.1.

The most water-intensive industries in the Ukrainian part of the Dnieper basin are: energy, ferrous metallurgy, chemical and petrochemical industries, which use about 86% of water taken in industry. Of the total water consumption for industrial needs, the energy sector consumes 41%, incl. thermal power plants - 39%, nuclear power plants - 1%, ferrous metallurgy - 8%, chemical and petrochemical - 1%.

In Ukraine, in the Dnieper basin, industry uses circulating water supply systems with sequential use of water. Saving water in the basin due to recycled water supply is 71% (in 1995 - 67%). The largest volume of water contained in circulating systems is at nuclear power plants - 56% of the total capacity in the pool.

An analysis of statistics on water withdrawals for industrial needs in the countries of the basin over the past 10 years indicates a significant reduction in industrial water consumption. The dynamics of the main indicators of the use and protection of water resources in Ukraine are presented in Table 4. However, this is not evidence of a more rational use of water resources, but a consequence of a decrease in industrial production indicators during this period. At the same time, recycling water supply systems are being increasingly implemented at existing industrial facilities, which gives tangible results in the rational use of water resources.

In 2000, 2129 m3 of fresh water was used for agricultural purposes in Ukraine, which is 3.4 times less than in 1990. 440.4 million m3 or 20% were used from the Dnieper bed.

The largest amount of water for irrigation from the rivers of the Dnieper basin was used in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. In Crimea, 826.2 million m 3 of water was used for agricultural needs, or 38.8%, and the two southern Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea used 1563 million m 3 of water, or 73.4%.

Irrigation is the most water-intensive consumer. The peculiarity of this type of water consumption is that sometimes less than 10% of the water supplied to irrigation fields is returned to the river network. However, in arid and semi-arid areas, irrigation is vital, and sometimes the only condition for agricultural production.

The basis of irrigation agriculture in the south of Ukraine is made up of large irrigation systems - Kakhovskaya, Krasnoznamenskaya, Inguletskaya, Frunzenskaya, Priazovskaya, Serogozskaya.

The North Crimean Canal is the largest artificial waterway in Ukraine. It originates from the Kakhovka reservoir, passes through the territory of the Kherson and Crimean regions and transfers the regulated flow of the Dnieper to the arid steppes of the Black Sea region and Northern Crimea for irrigation of agricultural land and water supply to populated areas.

The cascade of hydroelectric power plants (HPPs) in the Ukrainian part of the Dnieper basin includes 8 HPPs located at a distance of about 1000 km. All hydroelectric power stations are located in the riverbed of the Dnieper River. This:

The total installed capacity of hydroelectric power plants on the Dnieper in Ukraine is 3938 MW. In general, electricity production in an average year by water availability reaches 9.8 billion kWh.

The Dnieper is the main waterway of Ukraine. With a total length of the river of 2200 km, the navigable part is 1869 km. of which 1038 km are within Ukraine. The temperate climate of Ukraine in the Dnieper basin determines significant navigation times, which include:

Kyiv has 263 days on the Dnieper;

On the Desna River near the city of Novgorod-Siversky 246 days.

In the lower reaches of the Dnieper, the duration of navigation increases significantly.

Most of the annual runoff on the Dnieper tributaries occurs during spring floods (60-80%), which is the cause of significant floods. During low water periods, the water content of rivers decreases sharply, which leads to a drop in depth and difficulty in navigation on them. Therefore, transport development of such tributaries of the Dnieper as Psel, Vorska, Ingulets, and others is low.

Table 4 Dynamics of main indicators of the use and protection of water resources

1 including sea water, water from underground sources and mine and quarry water.

Along the entire length of the Dnieper River, within Ukraine, the depth of the shipping lane is guaranteed at 3.65 m.

The Dnieper plays a major role in river transport in Ukraine. On its banks there are large industrial centers, which are served by the Kyiv, Cherkassy, ​​Kremenchug, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson ports, the total cargo turnover of which reaches 90 million tons.

Many tributaries flow into the Dnieper on the territory of Ukraine, some of which are navigable, mainly in their lower part: Pripyat - 64 km, Desna - 476 km, Teterev - 28 km, Sula - 119 km, Samara - 62 km, Ingulets - 19 km, Konka - 37 km. Also navigable in the lower part of Sozh and Berezina. Of these, only Pripyat, according to the European classification of inland waterways, belongs to routes of international importance (class IV, a pushed train consisting of a pusher and one barge with a tonnage of up to 1200 tons), and cargo turnover is carried out only along the Desna and Samara. The section of the Dnieper River from Kherson to the mouth (28 km) is a passage area for sea vessels and falls under the status of sea routes of Ukraine. Currently, the volume of intra-basin cargo transportation by river transport has sharply decreased: in 1990, 63 million tons were transported, in 1995 - 1 million 427 thousand tons, in 1996 - 330 thousand tons, in 1998 - 543 thousand tons, in 1999 - 447.2 thousand tons. In 2000 - 2002 The volume of cargo transportation has increased slightly and the expected quantity in the near future will be about 500 thousand tons.

Table 5. Transport services of river ports and berths for cargo handling for January - September 2010

There are seven shipping locks in operation on the Dnieper: Kyiv, Kanevsky, Kremenchugsky, Dneprodzerzhinsky, Zaporozhye (three-chamber), Kakhovsky.

The main volume of freight traffic occurs in the city of Kyiv - 83%, also in the Dnepropetrovsk region - 9%, in Poltava, Zaporozhye, Chernigov - 2% each. The average distance for transporting 1 ton of cargo by river transport in 2000 was 706 km.

The main range of goods transported includes: coal, construction materials, and in foreign transportation - iron ore, metals, coal, clay, etc.

The passenger turnover of river transport in the total passenger turnover is insignificant - in the period 1990 - 2000. tended to decrease: from 0.3 to 0.02%.

There are practically no regular passenger services, with the exception of some local routes on the Kakhovka Reservoir.

The regulation of the Dnieper flow on the territory of Ukraine led to the restructuring and reshaping of historically established biocenoses, including ichthyofauna. In this regard, since the mid-50s of the last century, the formation of the ichthyofauna of the Dnieper reservoirs has been considered in terms of their cascading nature. In connection with the ongoing hydraulic construction, leading Ukrainian ichthyologists developed scientific foundations and projects for the rational fishery development of reservoirs, and outlined ways for the directed formation of ichthyofauna. Based on extensive and comprehensive studies reflecting the peculiarities of the formation of ichthyofauna in individual reservoirs of the Dnieper in different periods of their existence in a comparative aspect with the river before flow regulation, patterns of formation of ichthyofauna and fish productivity in the conditions of the created cascade of reservoirs were established.

Before the construction of the Dnieper hydroelectric station, in the Dnieper basin from the mouth to Kakhovka there were 67 species and subspecies of fish belonging to 17 families, and from Kakhovka to the mouth of Pripyat (Chernobyl) - 63, belonging to 15 families. At the same time, on the Dnieper section from Kakhovka to Zaporozhye, 59 species and subspecies of fish were discovered, and from Zaporozhye to Dnepropetrovsk - 55, from Dnepropetrovsk to Kremenchug - 52, from Kremenchug to Kyiv - 48, from Kyiv to Chernobyl - 49 species.

The gradual creation of hydroelectric power stations on the Dnieper blocked the paths for spawning and feeding migrations of anadromous and semi-anadromous fish species. This situation has led to the disappearance from the ichthyofauna of valuable anadromous fish (Black Sea beluga sturgeon, Black Sea-Azov sturgeon, Black Sea sturgeon, Black Sea-Azov herring, plump-cheeked pipefish, river eel) and semi-anadromous (carp, shemaya). In the Dnieper waters, valuable aquatic fish (natives of the ichthyofauna) - Dnieper madder (Dnieper barbel) - have also disappeared, and the number of podust, chub, ide, burbot, and dace has decreased.

The basis of the commercial ichthyofauna of the Dnieper reservoirs are fish species belonging to the Ponto-Caspian freshwater (32.4 - 68.1% of the total catch) and boreal lowland (13.8 - 33.1%) faunal complexes.

Among the main reasons that led to the disappearance of many species of fish and a reduction in the number of others, one should name a decrease in the number of spawning grounds, the lack of the necessary meadow vegetation on them that can withstand prolonged flooding, their abundant overgrowth with aerial-aquatic vegetation, significant fluctuations in water levels, a sharp decrease in water exchange and speeds currents. The decline in commercial fish catches in the Dnieper reservoirs in recent years is associated not only with a decline in fish stocks or the availability of natural food resources, but is largely associated with socio-economic problems in Ukraine (decrease in fishing intensity due to the lack of material and technical base, fuel, fleet, network materials, etc.).

In order to carry out bioreclamation of reservoirs and increase their fish productivity, the introduction of herbivorous fish (silver carp, grass carp) was carried out. Since the mid-70s, stocking of ichthyofauna with representatives of the Chinese lowland faunal complex was carried out in all reservoirs, and by the mid-80s they accounted for 7.7% of the total commercial catch in all reservoirs.

The problem of the ecological state of water bodies is relevant for all water basins of Ukraine. As for the Dnieper, whose water resources make up about 80% of Ukraine’s water resources and provide water for 32 million people and 2/3 of the country’s economic potential, this is one of the most important tasks for economic and social development and environmental policy of the state. This is predetermined by the complex ecological situation in the basin, since 60% of it is plowed, 35% of the land is heavily eroded, and 80% of the primary natural landscape is transformed. Reservoirs on the Dnieper have become accumulators of pollutants. Significant damage was caused to the northern part of the basin as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant; The small rivers of the basin are in critical condition, a significant part of which have lost their natural ability to self-purify. The rivers of the Lower Dnieper are in a catastrophic state, where the sanitary and epidemiological situation is annually complicated, fish catch decreases, and biological diversity becomes poorer.

Significant harm to the Dnieper ecosystem, along with the annual pollution of the basin with organic substances (40 thousand tons), petroleum products (745 tons), chlorides, sulfates (400 thousand tons each), salts of heavy metals (65 - 70 tons), causes pollution with nutrients as a result the use of backward technologies of agricultural production, low efficiency of municipal treatment facilities.

The ecological improvement of the Dnieper basin is one of the most important priorities of state policy in the field of protection and restoration of water resources. On February 27, 1997, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the National Program for the Environmental Improvement of the Dnieper Basin and Improvement of the Quality of Drinking Water. The main goal of the National Program is to renew and ensure the constant functioning of the Dnieper ecosystem, high-quality water supply, environmentally friendly living conditions for the population and economic activities, and the protection of water resources from pollution and depletion.

The basins of other rivers of Ukraine (Seversky Donets, Dniester, Western Bug, Southern Bug, river basins of the Azov and Black Sea lowlands) are not in the best, but in some places even worse condition. Therefore, the goal and strategic directions defined by the National Program for the Dnieper are similar for other water basins of Ukraine.

5. Water quality

Analysis of data on drainage and the quality of natural waters over a long period of time indicates growing pollution of surface and underground waters, and especially groundwater. This trend has increased significantly over the past 10 to 12 years. If the volumes of fresh water used from 1990 to 2001 decreased from 30.2 to 12.2 billion m 3, and the volume of discharged waste water - from 20.3 to 12.3 billion m 3, then the volume of polluted water increased from 3.2 in 1990 to 3.8 billion m 3 in 1999, including without treatment - from 0.5 to 0.7 billion m 3 (in 1992 - 1998 this value was 0.8 -1.2 billion m3).

The water quality of most water bodies is classified as polluted and dirty (IV - V quality class) based on the state of chemical and bacterial contamination. The most acute ecological condition is observed in the basins of the Dnieper and Seversky Donets rivers, the rivers of the Azov region, and individual tributaries of the Dniester and Western Bug, where the water quality is classified as very dirty (class VI). The ecosystems of most water bodies in Ukraine are characterized by elements of ecological and metabolic regression.

The main pollutants include petroleum products, phenols, ammonium and nitrate nitrogen, heavy metals and the like.

For the vast majority of industrial and municipal enterprises, the discharge of pollutants significantly exceeds the established level of maximum permissible discharge (hereinafter referred to as MAP). This leads to pollution of water bodies and violation of water quality standards.

The main causes of pollution of surface waters in Ukraine are:

• discharge of untreated and insufficiently treated municipal and industrial wastewater directly into water bodies and through the city sewerage system;
• entry of pollutants into water bodies during surface water runoff from built-up areas and farmland;
• soil erosion in the water intake area.

The quality of groundwater is also constantly deteriorating as a result of economic activities. This is due to the existence on the territory of Ukraine of about 3 thousand filtering wastewater storage tanks, as well as the widespread use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides. The most unsatisfactory quality of groundwater is in the Donbass and Krivbass. A significant danger in production wells in Western Ukraine is the presence of phenols (up to 5 - 10 maximum permissible concentrations - further than the MPC), as well as increased mineralization and an increase in the content of heavy metals in the groundwater of Crimea.

When analyzing the dynamics of the discharge of pollutants into surface water sources, a significant decrease was found. If in the early 90s of the last century more than 5 million tons of pollutants were discharged, then at the end of the millennium a little more than 3 million tons. Despite this, pollution of surface water sources and groundwater not only did not decrease, but partially increased . This process is explained by the fact that the possibility of self-purification of rivers and other water bodies has sharply decreased.

Pollution of soil, surface and groundwater has created an ecological crisis situation in the aquatic ecosystems of Ukraine. The aggravation of this problem was significantly contributed by the high (the highest in Europe) rates of destruction of agricultural land, the state of forests (and the forest cover of the territory as a whole), the scale of soil pollution, air pollution, and radioactive contamination of a significant part of the country's territory.

The ecological crisis situation in Ukraine in general and the crisis state of its water sector in particular did not arise immediately, but were conditioned by our entire gradual development. Ukraine, which occupied 2.7% of the territory of the USSR, produced 18% of the gross national product, and the technogenic load on its ecosystems was 6-7 times higher than the general level in the Soviet Union.

A negative role in creating an environmental crisis situation was played by the disproportions characteristic of Ukraine in national and regional economic structures, the discrepancy between the distribution of natural resource and socio-economic potentials, the growing technical and technological backwardness and, as a result, the progressive depletion of natural resources, especially water, and deterioration in quality surrounding natural environment.

Intervention in nature, imbalance in large natural complexes (regulation of large and small rivers beyond acceptable environmental standards, large-scale insufficiently balanced drainage of Polesie, and the like).

6. Problems of water resources in Ukraine

A systematic analysis of the current ecological state of Ukrainian river basins and the organization of management of the protection and use of water resources made it possible to outline the range of the most pressing problems that need to be solved, namely:

• excessive anthropogenic load on water bodies as a result of the extensive method of water management has led to a crisis reduction in the self-reproducing capabilities of rivers and depletion of water resource potential;
• a steady trend towards significant pollution of water bodies as a result of disorderly disposal of wastewater from populated areas, economic facilities and agricultural land;
• large-scale radiation contamination of many river basins as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster;
• deterioration in the quality of drinking water as a result of the unsatisfactory environmental condition of drinking water supply sources;
• imperfection of the economic mechanism for water use and implementation of water protection measures;
• insufficient efficiency of the existing management system for the protection and use of water resources as a result of imperfections in the regulatory framework and organizational management structure;
• lack of an automated, permanent monitoring system for the ecological state of water basins in the Black and Azov Seas, the quality of drinking water and wastewater in water supply and drainage systems of settlements and economic facilities .

The Dnieper and Dniester are the main waterways of our country, in the basins of which almost 80% of the population lives. In the past, the Dnieper - one of the largest rivers in Europe - was pure water, with a stable ecosystem that functioned normally for thousands of years, watering and feeding millions of people.

Today, due to gross violations by humans of all the rules and principles of rational environmental management, the Dnieper ecosystems are degrading, the vertical and horizontal connections of bionts and the abiotic environment are destroyed. The main reasons for the current crisis situation are as follows:

• construction of a cascade of reservoirs on the Dnieper, which radically changed the flow dynamics;
• large-scale reclamation;
• construction of numerous industrial complexes in the river basin;
• huge volumes of water intake for industrial and irrigation needs;
• very heavy pollution.

For the same reasons, the Dniester ecosystem is degrading, where valuable fish species have also become extinct, a huge amount of terrigenous sediments, heavy metals, radionuclides, humus substances are accumulated at the bottom, and coastal erosion is developing.

About 15 billion liters of water are withdrawn from the Dnieper annually for the needs of industry and agriculture, and almost 10 million tons of gas and dust pollution are released into the atmosphere over the river basin. Every year, about 500 thousand tons of nitrogen compounds, 40 thousand tons of phosphorus, 20 thousand tons of potassium, 1 thousand tons of iron, 40 tons of nickel, 2 tons of zinc, 1 ton of copper, fall into the Dnieper and its reservoirs with rain and melt water. 0.5 t chromium. There are seven nuclear power plants operating in the Slavutich basin!

Among all the reservoirs of the Dnieper cascade, the greatest biogenic pollution due to water blooming has recently been recorded in the Kiev and Kremenchug reservoirs, the least - in the Dnepropetrovsk. Before supplying the consumer, Dnieper water requires additional purification: filtration, coagulation, disinfection.

The river regime of the Dnieper has been artificially transformed into a lake regime, water exchange has sharply slowed down, zones of stagnation have formed, and the rate of eutrophication has accelerated. Reservoirs have significantly worsened the condition of the surrounding areas: the groundwater level has increased even at fairly large distances from the shores, soil salinity has increased and the humus content in them has decreased, the volume of underground flow has increased almost 10 times and, at the same time, the level of groundwater pollution, especially in the lower parts of the pool; The water-salt regime in irrigation zones has changed, and erosion of the coastal zone has increased.

In the bottom sediments of the Dnieper, the concentration of radionuclides is constantly increasing, especially in the Kiev Reservoir. In the waters and silts of the Dneprodzerzhinsky and Dnepropetrovsk reservoirs, the concentration of iron, cyanides, chlorides, chromium, copper, cobalt, lead, zinc, cadmium, phenols, and petroleum products is rapidly increasing. Losses from the flooded Dnieper creeks, according to estimates, amount to about 18 billion dollars annually, while the profit from all six hydroelectric power stations of the Dnieper cascade is only 25 - 28 million dollars per year. Not only did the productive floodplain biocenoses perish, but the Dnieper also lost its ability to self-purify to a significant extent.

The gum also needs urgent and serious help; its once clean, healing waters today do not even meet the third category of quality, and the situation is getting worse. The main polluters of the Desna include the Shostka chemical plant, as well as enterprises in Chernigov and Sumy, Smolensk and Kursk nuclear power plants.

Saving the Dnieper is possible only subject to the adoption and implementation of a comprehensive program at the national level, a mandatory component of which should be a system of measures for environmental rehabilitation and restoration of small rivers, as well as cooperation with Russia and Belarus in these matters.

The same phenomena are characteristic of the Dniester. Enormous harm to its basin is caused by runoff from fields contaminated with pesticides and nitrates, emissions from industrial concerns "Chlorvinyl" (Kalush), "Ukrtsement" (Kamenets-Podolsky), "Ukr-Neftekhim" (Nadvornaya), Burshtyn State District Power Plant, etc.

The Black and Azov Seas are the most distant from the World Ocean. The area of ​​their drainage basin is much larger than the area of ​​the seas themselves. This determines their extreme sensitivity to the influence of human activity. In recent decades, there have been eutrophication processes, pollution of the sea shelf with toxic substances, coastal abrasion, a decrease in biological diversity and fish stocks, and significant losses of recreational resources.

An acute environmental crisis has gripped the Sea of ​​Azov. This is, without exaggeration, a zone of environmental disaster. Just 40 - 50 years ago, 35 times more fish were caught in it than in the Black Sea, and 12 times more than in the Baltic. There were 114 species of fish in this sea, and the total catch sometimes exceeded 300 thousand tons. A significant part of the catch was valuable sturgeon. Today, catches have decreased by an average of 6 times, and the fish caught sometimes contains so many chemicals that consuming them is hazardous to health. There was also a silent biological explosion in the Sea of ​​Azov. A decade ago, the Far Eastern fish pelengas emerged from experimental cats into the sea and quickly settled throughout the waters of Azov. Being competitively stronger, pelengas displaces many native species of the Azov ichthyofauna and has already become one of the main industrial species of this sea. The waters of Azov have long been famous for their healing properties. Currently, as a result of anthropogenic pollution, these properties are lost. Thus, back in 1987, the concentration of pesticides increased 20 times. Today, the content of toxic chemicals and heavy metals in the bottom sediments of the sea is many times higher than the norm.

In the 70s, the first large outbreaks of toxic “blooming” of blue-green algae were recorded in the Taganrog Bay. In the 80s they became regular. In 1997, a “bloom” was already observed in the open waters of the sea and covered not only its eastern, most polluted part, but also its western part. The sanitary and epidemiological situation on the Azov coast has sharply worsened. Every year, large resort areas are periodically declared closed due to non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards and outbreaks of particularly dangerous infectious diseases, such as cholera.

The main reasons for the environmental crisis in Azov:

• predatory fishing by enterprises of the former USSR, which began in the 50s using the method of powerful ocean fishing using huge trawls, cats, mechanical dredges, instead of traditional small nets, special gear, small longboats designed for sea depths of 5 - 8 m;
• construction of dams and reservoirs on the main rivers feeding the sea - the Don and Kuban, and the transformation of these reservoirs into giant industrial settling tanks;
• the introduction of irrigated agriculture and intensive technologies for growing rice in the basins of runoff into the sea instead of growing traditional crops, which led to over-chemicalization and salinization of soils, water pollution, and a significant reduction in the flow of the Don and Kuban rivers;
• uncontrolled, avalanche-like washout of pesticides from agricultural fields and their removal into the sea by the waters of the Don and Kuban;
• an increase in the amount of untreated emissions from chemical and metallurgical industry enterprises in the cities of Mariupol, Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Kamysh-Burun (Mariupol alone “supplies” 800 thousand tons of toxic substances to the Azov basin annually);
• intensive construction on the coast and sea spits of numerous boarding houses and recreation centers and, as a consequence, the dumping of household waste and sewage into the sea.

The ecological situation in the Black Sea basin is somewhat better, which is facilitated by its size and depth. However, the Dnieper, Southern Bug, Dniester, and Danube flow into the Black Sea, which annually bring millions of cubic meters of wastewater containing dozens of toxicants. The concentration of radionuclides in water and bottom sediments has increased significantly. The shelf is polluted by domestic and sewage waste, which accompanies the tourism industry. Because of this, the beaches of Yalta, Feodosia, Evpatoria, Alushta, and Odessa have been closed dozens of times recently. In the southwestern part of the Black Sea, in connection with the development of underwater oil and gas fields, intensive water pollution with oil products began. In the same region, death zones are increasingly emerging. Powerful port factories and the Southern Port near Odessa pose a huge danger. Here, in particular, huge volumes of liquid ammonia are produced and concentrated, and the powerful Odessa-Togliatti ammonia pipeline is operated. This extremely harmful substance is transported by tankers with a capacity of 50-120 thousand tons. Even one accident at a factory, in a port or on such a tanker can have very serious environmental and economic consequences. Due to the disruption of the regional hydrodynamic, hydrochemical and thermal balances of sea water masses, the limit of deep waters saturated with hydrogen sulfide is gradually increasing. If earlier it took place at a depth of 150-200 m, now it has risen to 80-110 m. As a result of water pollution and overfishing, the composition of the ichthyofauna of the Black Sea has changed significantly. In recent years, there has been a general decline in fish catch, and most of all this concerns valuable species - mackerel, bonito, salmon, goby, mullet, but low-value species - sprats and anchovy - come out on top. Four species of Black Sea sturgeon are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine: beluga, sturgeon, sterlet and Atlantic sturgeon. Due to the catastrophic decline in the amount of red algae Phyllophora, its harvesting is prohibited. This also applies to shellfish, in particular mussels. A crisis situation is developing in the Black Sea estuaries - the Dnieper-Bugsky, Dniester, Kalamitsky and Karkinitsky gulfs, and in the estuary-Lake Sasik it is assessed as catastrophic. Toxic blooms of blue-green algae have been observed in estuaries, and since the early 1980s, blooms similar to the infamous “red tides” have appeared both in estuaries and in open sea areas. All over the world, it is this “bloom” that is considered the most harmful, because the resulting algae are capable of releasing saxitoxin, the deadly poison curare, into the water.

7. Problems of drinking water supply

Contamination of drinking water supply sources due to insufficient efficiency of water treatment facilities leads to a deterioration in the quality of drinking water supplied to consumers. This poses a threat to public health, causes a high incidence of intestinal infections, hepatitis, and increases the risk of carcinogenic and mutagenic factors affecting the human body.

The specificity of drinking water supply in Ukraine is that 75% of it is based on surface water sources. Modern technologies make it possible to purify water from any contamination and even bring it to a distilled state, but the cost of such purification, as well as the consequences of drinking such water, should be taken into account.

Since water from natural surface sources is currently mainly of the third - fifth quality category, and traditional water purification technologies are designed for the first - second category of water quality in a water source, their application does not allow preparing drinking water that would meet regulatory requirements.

Wouldn’t it be easier and better for us and future generations to help Nature restore the natural balance in the aquatic and near-aquatic ecosystems of Ukraine and thereby ensure the natural, rather than man-made, development of the nation and preserve its healthy gene pool?

The situation that has developed in the drinking economy and water supply is associated with many unresolved regulatory, organizational and technological issues.

The supply of water “on schedule” and water that does not meet sanitary and hygienic standards is being repeated more and more often in different cities. The rural population drinks water from the first aquifer (groundwater), which is a fairly “strong cocktail” of pesticides and their breakdown products.

In general, the most serious reasons for the unfavorable situation that has developed in providing the population with drinking water of standard quality are not only environmental factors, but also a number of problems that arose due to the fact that for a long time the water supply and sewerage sector developed at a slow pace and unsatisfactorily equipped with machinery, materials and equipment.

These reasons can be formulated as follows:

inconsistency of water treatment technologies;

non-compliance of water bodies with the requirements for sources of domestic and drinking water supply;

unsatisfactory condition of the water supply network;

low technical level of operation of the water supply and sewerage system.

8. Problems of water resources of Sumy region

In the Sumy region, historically, too much water is used for the needs of sugar and alcohol factories, which were built not only on large, but also on small rivers. In the post-war years, the development of the chemical and engineering industries contributed to the pressure on river waters. The volume of water intakes immediately increased, although the waste water was later “dumped” back, but its quality was far from what was required. As of 01/01/1996; In total, in the Sumy region for consumption needs, fresh water intake amounted to 224 million m 3, including 70 million m 3 from surface sources. Of course, if we compare with data from ten years ago regarding water consumption, then in reality the fact is that water is saved by almost 65 million m 3. Unfortunately, these savings were achieved not due to the efficient use of water intakes, not due to the introduction of recirculating water use systems, but mainly due to a reduction in production volumes. However, our main problem is not even related to the volume of water withdrawals, but to the quality of water that returns to the rivers after its industrial use. Water for the operation of a plant or factory can be taken from a river, a reservoir on this river, from underground layers, but used, “waste” water is thrown only into rivers, there is no other alternative. Large factories have their own treatment facilities, but, as a rule, these facilities are expensive and at the present stage operate in excessive overvoltage modes. Due to overvoltage, 23 biological water treatment plants out of 64 available in the region are operating ineffectively. Thus, the industry of the city of Romny turned the Lozovka River - a tributary of the Sula - into a “sewage ditch”, and the industrial enterprises of the city of Konotop had the same impact on the river. Ezuch. PA "Desna" discharges into the river. Shostka up to 12 thousand m 3 per day of standard clean wastewater and more than 1000 m 3 per day of insufficiently treated wastewater. The treatment facilities of the Belopol Machine-Building Plant receive wastewater from the entire city, so they are overloaded 5 times and provide only mechanical purification. Therefore, during the year in the river. 3 million m3 of untreated waste flows into the river. Analysis of river water carried out by the water inspectorate of the region downstream from these cities allows us to classify these four small rivers as very “polluted”. The list of such rivers can be continued. The Psel River deserves special attention, where a whole complex of chemical and other factories is located, where there are more than 700 water intakes, where there are many problems regarding the quality of waste water treatment and problems of the river. Psla. Thus, there are no high-quality water treatment facilities at the Temp plant, porcelain factory, cloth factory, or meat processing plant. Due to outdated equipment, the water neutralization stations of SMNPO named after. Frunze. The commissioning of the industrial wastewater treatment system for the AN, UBiVT factories is disrupted, and all the dirt from them enters the river. A bag. The electrocoagulation plant for industrial wastewater at the Centrolit plant should have been reconstructed long ago. Every day only PO "Khimprom" drops into the river. Psel 12 thousand m 3 of insufficiently treated wastewater. Over the course of a year, this constitutes a significant addition to the natural chemical composition of river water: 120 thousand tons of salts, 11.6 tons of iron, 190 tons of chlorides, 6.4 thousand tons of sulfates, 78 tons of ammonium nitrogen, etc. During the flood period, every year for 25-30 days, pollution from sludge reservoirs is discharged in a volume of 1.8 to 2.4 million m 3. The quality of these pollutants exceeds the maximum permissible concentrations (MAC) for fluorine, ammonium nitrogen, and sulfates by several times.

However, R. Psel suffers not only from untreated factory wastewater. A serious danger of pollution of the rivers Strelka, Sumka and Psel is caused by frequent ruptures of the first line of the pressure sewer collector, through which household waste flows to the city's treatment facilities, due to its significant deterioration, as well as due to the failure rate of the collector itself. Who has seen what the water in the river becomes like? A dog after rain, at the confluence of the Bag, will not dare to swim here. The black water, covered in oil stains, absorbs the rain streams that flow through the city. Numerous toxic substances and waste from the traffic flow of cars dissolve within these flows. Such water contains high concentrations of manganese, lead, nickel, carbon and sulfur compounds. Rainwater washes away our streets, and rivers silently and reliably take in all the accumulated dirt and carry it further downstream, depositing it at the bottom in front of hydroelectric dams. Who knows what consequences this will lead to or has already led to? We know that water has a remarkable ability to restore its quality on its own. However, even large rivers are now finding it very difficult to cope with this. This is how the problem of river water quality arose. And the boom in the use of high levels of mineral fertilizers has caused even greater harm to rivers. Carelessly applied fertilizers are washed away by rain streams, adding substances to river water that were never there in the first place. Therefore, even the large rivers of the region (Seim, Vorskla, Psel, Sula) in terms of the amount of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen in their water exceed the maximum permissible concentration by 2 - 5 times (1995 data). The river water also contains high levels of chlorides and sulfates, although it does not exceed the maximum permissible concentration. Employees of the water inspection of the state environmental safety department in the Sumy region claim that the rivers Esman, Kleven and Syrovotka can be classified as clean rivers. The Vorskla and Seim rivers were considered relatively clean or moderately polluted. The Psel and Sula rivers are more polluted. Certain places of the Shostka, Vyr, Ezuch and Lozovka rivers are the most polluted. The problems of our rivers do not end with changes in the chemical composition of waters. It was already mentioned earlier about the siltation of river bottoms with the products of soil washout, but at the same time, mineral and biological substances enter the water from agricultural lands, promoting the intensive development of aquatic vegetation, which reduces the speed of water flow and reduces the transporting capacity of the river. This further contributes to siltation of the riverbed. Reservoirs created on rivers especially become silted. Already 5 - 6 years after creation they require clearing. The estimated volume of silt in the reservoirs is 21 million m3, so many of them urgently need to be cleaned or completely drained, since they no longer perform the tasks that were assigned to them during their construction. But their negative aspects were clearly revealed, in particular, swamping of the surrounding water meadows, changes in meadow vegetation, and rising groundwater levels. The Sumy region is considered to be well supplied with water resources. The main sources of water supply are the surface waters of the Desna, Psla, Seima, Sula, Vorskla, Khorol, Shostka rivers, as well as the groundwater of the Cretaceous-Marl, Poltava, Kharkov and Buchatsky aquifers. The potential resources of the local river flow are 2.45 km 3 . This average long-term runoff value can be significantly reduced once every four years (in a low-water year) (up to 1.75 km 3), and once every 20 years it can be minimal (1.15 km 3). The transit flow that comes to us from other regions is 3.34 km 3 . In dry years it can be reduced to 1.73 km 3 . Operable groundwater reserves are estimated at 1.25 km 3 .

By analyzing this large set of problems, it is possible to draw very important conclusions regarding the environmental reality of our state, to discover factors and features of life and environmental management.

The “basic” shortcomings of Ukraine at the present stage are complex, multifaceted factors that exercise a complex, total influence on all sectors of the economy, operate in different areas, at different levels of economic management, and therefore they need special attention, special solutions, that is, systemic decisions from the state. These factors are:

• macroeconomic policy, which forces economic entities to extensively use natural resources;
• investment policy, which is focused on the development of resource-intensive sectors of the economy;
• unstable legislation;
• lack of property rights to natural resources;
• lack of an environmentally balanced long-term economic strategy;
• at the regional and local levels, the lack of direct and indirect effects of environmental protection from (economic and social) “global profits”;
• inflation, economic crisis and economic instability interfere with the implementation of long-term projects, which include most environmental projects;
• lack of ecological thinking, environmental awareness.

To resolve these issues, on May 12, 1997, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, by Resolution No. 439, approved the Concept (strategy) for the conservation of biological diversity of Ukraine, for the implementation of which a National Action Program for 1998-2015 is being developed. The main tasks of activity in this area are:

• preservation, improvement of the condition and renewal of natural and disturbed ecosystems, habitats for individual biological species and landscape components;
• promoting the transition to a balanced use of natural resources; minimizing direct and indirect negative impacts on ecosystems, their components and complexes;
• increasing the level of public awareness on issues of biological diversity, as well as enhancing the participation of citizens in activities regarding its conservation; strengthening the responsibility of enterprises, organizations, institutions and citizens whose activities are related to the use of natural resources or affect the state of the environment for the preservation of biological diversity.

For these purposes, it is envisaged to apply and develop appropriate legal, financial, organizational, scientific, methodological, information and educational means. At the same time, the main areas of activity regarding the conservation of biological diversity are: achieving economic and environmental balance, structural restructuring of the economy, deepening the improvement of legislation and culture of environmental management, conservation and renewal of ecosystems, namely:

• preservation and renewal of coastal and marine, river and floodplain, lake and swamp, meadow and steppe, forest and mountain ecosystems;
• conservation of species and populations; environmental improvement of urban landscapes and other areas of intensive economic activity;
• greening of agricultural landscapes and agricultural technologies, methods of activity in forestry, fishing, hunting, water and land management;
• creation of a national ecological network (system of “green” corridors) as an integral part of the European ecological network.

List of used literature

1. G.O. Bilyavsky, R.S. Furduy, I.Yu. Kostikov. Fundamentals of ecology: Pidruchnik K.: "Libid", 2004.
2. Resolution of the Supreme Council of Ukraine "On the National Program for the Environmental Improvement of the Dnieper Basin and Improvement of the Quality of Drinking Water."
3. The camp of the natural environment and the problems of its protection in Sumy region, Sumi, “Dzherelo”, 1997.
4. Sumy State University im. A. S. Makarenka. K.K. Karpenko. The main directions of the government policy of Ukraine are the protection of water resources, the recovery of natural resources and the provision of environmental safety. - http://student.km.ru.
5. Scientific and organizational principles of environmentally safe water use in Ukraine.

6. Training and consulting center "UkrCONSULTING". Ecology. Series 10. Organization of environmental work at the enterprise. Environmental management, Kharkov.

Federal Agency for Science and Education

Kazan State Technological University

Department of Management, Economics and Law

Abstract on the course “Environmental Economics”

The problem of providing fresh water resources and

ways to overcome it

Kazan 2007

Introduction

State of the World's Freshwater Resources

Exacerbation of water problems in Russia

Ways to overcome fresh water shortage

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

Environmental problems throughout the world are considered one of the most pressing, because the health of the nation and, accordingly, the existence of any state directly depend on it.

Water is the basis of life. It plays a vital role in the geological history of the Earth and the emergence of life, in the formation of the climate on the planet. Without water, living organisms cannot exist. It is an essential component of almost all technological processes. We can say that the main function of water is life-sustaining.

Water is the most common substance in nature. However, 97.5% of the hydrosphere is in salt water and only 2.5% is in fresh water, 2/3 of which is accumulated in glaciers and permanent snow cover, and 1/5 is represented by groundwater. Of the 35 million cubic km of fresh water, humanity uses 200 thousand km3 (less than 1% of all reserves), and in many regions there is water stress. About 1/3 of the population lives in areas where fresh water intake makes up from 20 to 10% or more of available resources.

Multipurpose use of water resources increases demand for them, leads to increased pollution and gradual depletion of natural sources. These problems manifest themselves with varying degrees of severity at the regional, national and global levels.

State of the World's Freshwater Resources

Fresh water supplies are distributed extremely unevenly across the planet. Thus, in Africa, only about 10% of the population is provided with regular water supply, while in Europe this figure exceeds 95%.

The water situation in cities around the world is becoming increasingly tense. The most difficult situation is observed in Asia, which is home to more than 50% of the population, but has only 36% of water resources. Residents of 80 countries around the world experience an acute shortage of clean drinking water. In many countries, water supply is already rationed.

According to the hydrological classification, countries with 1000-1700 m3 of renewable water per year per person live in conditions of water stress, and those with less than 1000 m3 live in conditions of water scarcity. However, it should be noted that humanity's capacity for adaptability is enormous: Jordanians, for example, survive on a per capita water consumption of only 176 m3 per year.

The problem of providing people with water and sanitation services is very acute: 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean fresh water, of which 65% are in Asia, 27% in Latin America and the Caribbean and 2% in Europe. 2.4 billion people live in unsatisfactory sanitary conditions (without sewerage), of which 80% are in Asia, 13% in Africa, 5% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2% in Europe.

As the population increases, the volume of water involved in economic activities increases (its consumption over the 20th century increased 6 times, and the world population increased 4 times). Half of the population (in Europe and America - 70%) lives in cities and towns, which, as a rule, have the economic opportunity to establish water supply and sewerage systems, but at the same time concentrate and multiply waste.

The mass of anthropogenic pollutants discharged into water bodies is growing (currently, about 6 billion tons of waste are discharged into rivers and lakes of the world every day). About 50% of the population of developing countries is forced to take water from contaminated sources. UN experts predict that if this trend continues, then in 20 years per capita water consumption will be reduced by 1/3.

The unsatisfactory quality of drinking water poses a real threat to the life and health of millions of people and their well-being. Every year, 500 million people fall ill and 10-18 million people die due to poor quality water.

Water is important for solving the energy problem. The two most important areas of its application are the generation of hydroelectric power and its use for cooling in thermal power plants:

In 2001, hydroelectricity accounted for 19% of total energy production (2,710 Terawatts per hour); Capacity to generate an additional 377 TWh was in the planning or construction stages. But only a third of all projects considered economically feasible received further support. This is due to the decline in enthusiasm for building large dams.

The construction of dams and the creation of reservoirs contributed to economic development (electricity production, irrigation development, water supply for industrial enterprises and the domestic sector, flood control). At the same time, this led to negative social consequences: the resettlement of 40 to 80 million people, a decrease in the social status and standard of living of the settlers, irreversible changes in the natural environment (loss of land as a result of the filling of the reservoir bed, as well as areas of untouched nature and wildlife habitats and etc.).

In the United States, for example, almost 500 medium-sized dams have been dismantled or mothballed (mainly for environmental reasons). Although these structures represent a small portion of the 800,000 dams and reservoirs built by Americans in the 20th century, the process reflects a wariness of widely used technologies.

Despite the changing attitude towards large dams, the deployment of hydraulic installations is planned. This construction will expand in many regions, primarily in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It is predicted that in 2010, hydroelectric power generation in the world will amount to 4210 TWh, of which 9 % - due to large hydropower.

Small hydropower will also be developed. Small (up to 10 MW) installations are useful in rural and remote areas. Thus, about 60 thousand installations are already operating in China. It is expected that by 2010. energy production using small hydropower will increase in the Middle East by 5 times, in Australia, Japan and New Zealand - by 4.2 times, in Central and Eastern Europe - by 3.5 times, in the CIS - by 3 times.

The main consumers of water resources are agriculture (primarily irrigation) - 70%, industry uses 22%, 8% of water is used for domestic needs. In high-income countries, these figures are 30:59:11%, in low- and middle-income countries - 82:10:8%, respectively.

The food supply of the population is provided by products of agriculture, livestock farming, aquaculture and forestry. The Earth's uncontrolled systems can feed no more than 500 million people, so agriculture is constantly evolving.

Groundwater pumping occurs much faster than its reproduction (recovery is slow - over about 1,400 years). It is known that more than 50% of usable water has already been pumped out. Only a few countries can resort to importing food. If most countries turn to it, it is likely that world markets will not be able to satisfy the increased demand, since the number of food exporting countries is rapidly declining.

As a result of the development of irrigation in a number of river basins, the withdrawal of average annual flow will exceed the environmentally permissible volumes of water withdrawal. Thus, the Colorado River stopped flowing into the Gulf of California due to the cost of irrigating fields in the USA and Mexico. In dry years, the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers do not reach the Aral Sea. The number of lakes is rapidly decreasing. Thus, in China, 543 large and medium-sized lakes disappeared - water was drained from them to the bottom.

There is depletion of groundwater and a decrease in its level in many regions - primarily in India, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and the USA. In Northern China, the groundwater level dropped by more than 30 m in an area inhabited by over 100 million people. It has been determined that 10% of the world's grain harvest is produced using groundwater. Unless there are changes in water policy, this share of the crop will one day cease to exist. According to the International Food Policy Institute, starting from 2005, due to a lack of fresh water, the world will lose at least 130 million tons of food annually. Currently, 1.5 billion people suffer from hunger.

It is expected that by 2030 the area of ​​irrigated land will increase by 20%, the volume of water consumed will increase by 14%. South Asia will use 40% of its renewable freshwater for irrigated agriculture. This is the level at which difficult choices may arise between agriculture and other water users. In the Middle East and North Africa, 58% of water will be used for agriculture.

Deforestation (resources have been destroyed on 80% of the forest area that covered the Earth 5-6 thousand years ago), degradation of wetlands (no more than 50% has been preserved), river flow regulation (the flow of 60% of the world's largest rivers is interrupted by hydraulic structures) and other factors lead to disruption of the natural mechanism of water retention.

The degradation of aquatic and semi-aquatic systems and landscapes, which are the habitat of many living creatures, has already threatened the extinction of 24% of mammal species, 12% of birds and a third of 10% of fish studied in detail. The biological diversity of fresh waters (ranging from 9 to 25 thousand species) is sharply declining.

Ecosystem disruption also leads to an increase in natural disasters. Over the past 10 years, over 2,200 major and minor disasters in one way or another related to water (floods, droughts, landslides, avalanches and famine) have occurred in the world. Asia and Africa suffered the most.

Climate change also affects the state of water resources. There is a trend towards more frequent extreme weather conditions. According to experts, this will increase water shortages in the world by 20%.

Rising tensions in international river basins Along with the problem of distributing water resources between different areas of its application (irrigation development, energy generation, urban management, etc.), there is also the problem of coordinating interests and establishing cooperation with other administrations or countries that use the river basin or groundwater sources.

According to UN forecasts, by 2050, the world's population will be 8.9 billion people, and from 2 to 7 billion people will suffer from water shortages. Disputes over the distribution of water resources can be the cause of most economic and political conflicts or even wars.

Currently, the number of international river basins is 261 and they are shared by 145 states. For example, the Nile, Danube, Tigris and Euphrates, Ganges and Brahmaputra once provided water to everyone and in sufficient quantities. But as populations and economies grow, upstream countries' use of water resources reduces water levels downstream.

In Europe and Africa, most river basins are multinational. In Europe, more than 150 large rivers and 50 lakes cross the borders of two or more countries. More than 100 transboundary groundwater basins have been discovered in Western and Central Europe. About 31% of Europeans already face serious problems of water shortages (especially during periods of drought and low river levels), which will worsen in the future and give rise to conflicts both between water users and between states.

European countries are increasingly aware of the importance of cooperation and sound management of water resources. This was greatly facilitated by the UN Economic Commission for Europe Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. World experience over the past 50 years shows that when a river basin was shared, conflict situations arose in 42% of cases, but war was never formally declared.

The most typical causes of disputes in river basins include: states gaining independence; implementation of a water management project unilaterally without taking into account the interests of other water users; hostile relations between countries for other reasons.

Problems of water sharing are solved by adopting the necessary legislation and creating appropriate management structures (interstate commissions). Over the past 50 years, more than 200 agreements on the use of transboundary waters not related to shipping have been signed in the world, but many of them need to be finalized.

Acting Head of the Federal Water Resources Agency Vadim Nikanorov is visiting Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda [audio]

Photo: Ivan MAKEEV

Change text size: A A

Afonina:

Over the next hour, we would like to talk about the wealth that our country has. When they look at Russia and say that it is a storehouse of riches, I mean, of course, not only our mineral resources, but also water resources. So, in the context of population growth, industrial development, and environmental pollution, people’s access to usable sources of fresh water is actually decreasing. That is why some are especially zealous and look at Russia as such a storehouse of water resources. This is what we decided to talk about. With us in the studio Acting Head of the Federal Water Resources Agency Vadim Nikanorov. What is unique about our country’s water resource potential, what do we have that others don’t?

Nikanorov:

It’s probably a little wrong to pose the question this way; everyone has a little bit of everything. Russia just has a lot of this. Russia is washed by the waters of 12 seas, we have over 2.5 million large and small rivers, and more than 2 million lakes. And this is its water potential, the basis of Russia’s water fund. The only drawback of Russia in this part is that these water bodies are located very unevenly on its territory. Nevertheless, 120 thousand rivers more than 10 km long create the water framework of Russia. We have more than 400 thousand kilometers in Russia that are favorable for shipping, and this also contributes to economic development. 90% of the annual river flow occurs in the Arctic and Pacific ocean basins. And only less than 8% - in the Caspian and Azov basins. At the same time, more than 80% of the Russian population lives in the Caspian and Azov basins. And the main part of the country’s economic infrastructure is also concentrated. The largest river systems are located on the territory of the Siberian District, which in principle is the richest in terms of water. These are the Angara-Yenisei, as well as the Ob and Irtysh. And in general, the Siberian District accounts for 43% of the resources of the entire river flow of Russia.

As for the lakes. We have about 2 million of them. Fresh, salty, brackish. And among them, the deepest freshwater lake in the world is Baikal. Many researchers also classify the Caspian Sea as lakes. Lakes are also unevenly distributed throughout Russia. Most of them are located in the northwest - the Kola Peninsula, Karelia, the Urals, Western Siberia, the Lena-Vilyui Upland, Transbaikalia and the Amur basin. The number of lakes like ours is practically never repeated. Only Canada has more lakes than Russia. Therefore, this is also our wealth.

And, of course, Baikal. The main part of fresh water resources is concentrated in Lake Baikal. This is 23 thousand cubic kilometers. Or 20% of the world's and more than 90% of national fresh water reserves. Lakes Ladoga and Lake Onega can also be classified as large or great lakes of Russia. And in total, the 12 largest lakes contain about 25 thousand cubic meters of fresh water. Despite the fact that the total supply of fresh water in the lakes is 26.5-26.7 thousand cubic meters.

Afonina:

Vadim Anatolyevich, you just talked about Lake Baikal, I think that our radio listeners immediately remembered what scandals are associated with this lake. How difficult it is now to say that this is one of the cleanest lakes on our planet. Alas, unfortunately, but this is true. We remember the actions that volunteers organized when they cleaned Baikal, we remember those scandals associated with water pollution by enterprises... Who should be responsible for the squandering of water resources? Who is to blame? At enterprises located along rivers and lakes? Is the blame on those who gave permission for the construction of these objects? How can this situation be changed for the better now? After all, such a task is certainly worthwhile.

Nikanorov:

Yes, of course, there is such a task, but I would not talk about wasting water resources; for now we are talking about how to make Baikal cleaner, or rather, not even make it cleaner, but not allow its further pollution. And all the efforts of everyone are aimed at this - both environmental services, as well as the constituent entities of the federation, which are located along the shores of Lake Baikal. These are mainly the Irkutsk region, Trans-Baikal Territory and the Republic of Buryatia. In fact, probably, those organizations and enterprises that are located along Lake Baikal, permits for their construction were issued a very long time ago. And now it’s probably not worth remembering someone with unkind words. We need to make sure that these enterprises become cleaner and begin to discharge the water that would not harm Lake Baikal. The biggest problem is that almost all of these enterprises operate without treatment facilities. Now all the efforts of scientists who are located in the Baikal region, who are dealing with the problems of water purification, and who are working on Baikal itself and the quality of the water in it, are looking at how to make sure that all large and small enterprises are provided with treatment facilities. In fact, on the part of the Republic of Buryatia, there are no longer any large enterprises directly located on the territory of Lake Baikal. The Baikal pulp and paper mill is closed. There are still problems with past environmental damage. This issue is being resolved. No new resets are being made. But those sanatorium-resort institutions that are located, small enterprises, recreation centers, etc. – they all operate without treatment facilities. And this is probably one of the main problems.

The second main problem is the growth of new algae in Baikal. The so-called spirogyra. Scientists have proven that the main environment that promotes their growth is the chemicals found in detergents. And one of the tasks now facing both the authorities of the constituent entities of the federation and environmental structures is to introduce a ban on the sale and distribution of such detergents in the Baikal region. According to scientists from the Limnological Institute, who are closely involved in the problems of Lake Baikal, this will dramatically improve the condition of the Baikal ecosystem.

Afonina:

It turns out that the purity of water resources depends on each of us, and if we do not use such means in everyday life, maybe the situation will really change?

Vadim Anatolyevich, now we have talked about only one lake - about Baikal - of course, scientists come, explore, look, we are trying with all our might to properly maintain this world pearl. But let's remember that in Soviet times, for example, there was a slogan “let's turn back the rivers.” And they turned. Let's adjust, as they say, water resources to human needs. Have you moved away from such a policy now?

Nikanorov:

They are moving away from such a policy. Water resource management is based on different principles, and almost no one within the country has any desire to turn the rivers back. Although there are such wild heads in our country and in neighboring states who often say that Russia has too much water and let’s share it with neighboring states, and propose to transfer it to neighboring states, sell it abroad, etc. But so far, thank God, there are no such serious attempts, because we understand that the amount of water that we have and what we talked about in the first part of our program is unevenly distributed, and secondly, it is subject to cyclicity. And if in one year there is a lot of this water - we have floods, floods - then in another year there may not be enough of it. And we are entering, or some region of our country may be entering, a stage of low water. Thus, unfortunately, we cannot predict in advance whether Russia will be able to fulfill its international agreements over a long period of time by supplying water somewhere abroad. Therefore, I think that it is necessary to move away from such a policy and use water for the benefit of Russia within the country.

Afonina:

What are the main challenges of our time? How would you define them?

Nikanorov:

If we are talking about what is happening inside our country, then, as I have already said, these are alternating floods and alternating periods of low water. This is a very complex system that depends both on climate, on its changes, and on other factors, including technological ones. And if, in principle, we know how to deal with floods, if we have reservoirs, we cut off the peaks of floods, collect them in the spring with the proper forecast from Roshydromet, empty the reservoirs and fill them with flood water, not letting them flow downstream, not allowing some cities to be flooded, then during the period of low water everything worsens. There is not enough water for some of the purposes for which it was previously used, and problems begin. Problems in organizations, problems in shipping, problems in industry. The thing is that, in accordance with the Water Code, in the absence of the proper amount of water resources, the needs of the population are met first. Thus, we limit consumption by other industries and supply water without restrictions - we try - to supply the population and economic facilities. Therefore, problems with low water are a whole chain of problems. In particular, for several years we had very big problems at the Volga-Kama cascade. This is the largest cascade on the European territory of the Russian Federation and for several years there was such a protracted period of low water. This was associated with restrictions on shipping; this was also associated with underloading of ships and underutilization of enterprises that used water in the Volga-Kama cascade area. This was due to the restriction of the tourism business, because the Upper Volga reservoirs partially fall into the system of the Golden Ring of Russia, ships of tourists were transported along them, and this also had to be limited. That is, you understand that when a country enters a period of low water, this entails a lot of restrictions.

Afonina:

But they will tell you - this is an element of nature, in fact, who can predict it and what to do about it? Well, yes, there is probably some algorithm of actions for this or that case, but it is probably impossible to identify any periodicity. This, to some extent, probably removes a certain amount of responsibility?

Nikanorov:

It is, in principle, possible to identify periodicity, but it is very difficult to have such large reserves of water to ensure the period of some dry years. This requires very large reservoirs with a multi-year period of operation. We have few such reservoirs. Mostly our reservoirs have seasonal or annual regulation. Therefore, it is, of course, difficult to accumulate water for the cycle of dry years. The way out of this is the construction of new reservoirs, maintaining existing reservoirs in working condition and, naturally, adapting the water management structure, which includes waterways, water intake structures of enterprises, water intake structures of housing and communal services. Working with low levels is precisely the solution to this problem during such a period.

Afonina:

Unfortunately, in the history of modern Russia there have been situations when it even resulted in human casualties. Now I’m talking about an excessive amount of water... It seems that they don’t listen to experts, they don’t consult, for example, with the Federal Water Resources Agency, when they organize these unauthorized developments, and the authorities don’t react to this, and then people’s houses washes away and people die. When it turns out that basic safety measures for staying near water bodies are not observed. By the way, do our radio listeners know what they write? I will literally read a couple of such messages to you. "Northern Donets. The banks of the river are littered with garbage. It's disgusting to watch. Nothing really is being done” - this is a message from Belgorod. Egor from Tver writes: “On the whole, I’m happy, with the exception of the development close to the rivers by some comrades who don’t pick up trash after themselves.” “We have a city on the Amur,” writes our radio listener from Khabarovsk, “the water condition is terrible, you can’t swim, it’s dangerous to fish. Pollution mainly comes from the “Chinese brothers”. And this is the great Russian river? That is, the questions are probably not even about the flooding of the rivers itself or, conversely, about the insufficient amount of water, but about how this is approached and how it is handled. Is there any opportunity to respond to our radio listeners to these claims?

Nikanorov:

They are absolutely right. Development near rivers, in so-called water protection zones or coastal protective strips, is the main problem. The fact is that if all building regulations were followed, of course, there would be much less damage from floods. But people are drawn to the water and believe that the closer he builds a house or makes some kind of personal plot, he will be better off. Indeed, for a certain period of time this satisfies everyone, but then big water comes, the house is washed away or it stands under water for a long period of time, loses its qualities and people try to appeal to the state to compensate them for the damage from the flood.

Afonina:

Yes, but now, as far as I understand, the state is ready, for example, to ensure that people themselves fully insure their homes, which are located in such a dangerous zone and, accordingly, subsequently pay for it themselves... if you cannot get rid of yours your own problems, that you really want to live near the water and at the same time understand the danger, then you have to pay for it. There is another interesting message that concerns the state of the Simferopol reservoir. “Simferopol Reservoir is the largest fresh water reservoir in Crimea. A very sad picture. The coastline is terribly littered, no sanitary zone is observed, cars drive right next to the water, especially on weekends and holidays, fuel and lubricants end up on the ground. Since the water level changes all the time, all this sooner or later ends up in the water. It’s just a barbaric attitude – both on the part of local residents and on the part of city authorities, who cannot restore order,” writes Andrey.

Nikanorov:

Yes, in fact, many such examples can be given. We at our agency see this all the time, because we receive a huge number of letters from people who are dissatisfied with the state of the coastline of water bodies and the use of water bodies on their territory. And I will say that here full responsibility for this state, for all these things lies with local governments, with the subjects of the federation. This is due to the fact that, in accordance with the Water Code in force in our country, Article 26 transferred the powers to manage water resources on their territory to the constituent entities of the federation.

Afonina:

Who manages water resources anyway? Is it the state or somehow this scheme is structured differently? In order to understand, maybe all our rivers are already privately owned, but we don’t know about it - who is the manager?

Nikanorov:

No, our rivers are not privately owned and cannot be. Small water bodies that are located on the territory of one plot of land, small quarries, ponds - these can be privately owned. And they are actually being actively transferred to private ownership. As for all other water bodies, they are all owned by the state. In federal ownership. However, as I already said, the federation transferred some of the powers to manage them to the constituent entities of the federations. Reserving for itself the management of large reservoirs, cascades of reservoirs that are of strategic importance for the country, and reservoirs that are used for domestic drinking water supply to two or more constituent entities of the federation. There is a list of reservoirs and they are managed by the Federal Water Resources Agency.

Afonina:

Why was this done? Why don't the federal subjects govern? What is the danger if all this is left to the discretion of regional authorities?

Nikanorov:

Here, first of all, to avoid possible conflicts between neighbors, between subjects of the federation regarding water allocation. Therefore, in order to avoid such possible conflicts and to guarantee the needs of the population and industry in the water resources of these subjects of the federation, the state manages it. The structure of water resources management in Russia is built on the basin principle. We have 15 basin departments. These are our territorial bodies. Here they are in their place making sure that all the capabilities of large reservoirs are used to meet the needs of a particular subject. For this purpose, basin councils are created on the territory of these basin departments, which include representatives of federal subjects, large water users, and other interested parties, who together solve all problems that arise in the entire basin. Such meetings of basin councils are held at least twice a year and there, in addition to solving pressing problems of today, planning of events for the future takes place, discussing issues of what needs to be done and for which water bodies in the near future. And these plans are then consolidated by the subjects in the form of some of their regional programs for the use of water resources, and the subject and the basin as a whole move according to them.

Afonina:

Let us now turn again to our radio listeners - are you satisfied with the condition of the rivers and lakes? And Alexander called us. Good afternoon.

Alexander:

Good day. As you said, we have the Volga-Don basin, the city of Belgorod, the Seversky Donets River, which flows through two states. A blatant case! Unfortunately, our authorities are not paying attention to this, the reservoir is getting smaller and blooming. We, residents who have been living for a long time, have repeatedly appealed, but the land is being stolen... our government has not changed for 25 years in the region... and I would like to ask - have you or have you ever been to our long-suffering region in terms of water?

Afonina:

Vadim Anatolyevich, have you been to the Belgorod region?

Nikanorov:

Yes, sure. And not only in the Belgorod region, I once traveled the entire Seversky Donets basin, I know all the problems that exist there. There, the river really begins in the Belgorod region, passes through Ukraine and ends in the Rostov region, flowing into the Don and carrying there all the nastiness that has accumulated over the entire flow of the Seversky Donets. Indeed, the river is in very poor condition. Both on the territory of the Belgorod region and on the territory of Ukraine. A huge amount of all kinds of prohibited, let's say, substances are dumped there... When our relations with Ukraine were better, these problems were discussed every year at the level of the intergovernmental commission, there were laboratories that monitored the quality of water both in the Belgorod region, before supplying it to Ukraine, and in the Rostov region, when we were tracking what Ukraine was throwing at us. The situation was more or less satisfactory. And now we continue to measure the amount of pollutants that come to us from the territory of Ukraine, but, unfortunately, we cannot do anything about it yet. The only reassuring thing is that due to the current situation in the Donbass, industry now practically does not work there, so discharges into the Seversky Donets are minimized.

As for the Belgorod region itself, then, of course, it is necessary to draw the attention of the local leadership, the governor, to the state of the Seversky Donets River, and we, for our part, will also ask the Don Basin Water Administration, whose prerogative includes supervision of the state of water resources in the Belgorod region, to consider at the nearest basin council, discuss the state of the river and reservoirs that are located on the territory of the Belgorod region and make some emergency, and maybe even planned decisions.

Afonina:

Yes, we came up with a topic that, I think, also interests our radio listeners. It turns out that the joint use of water resources by different states sometimes leads to quite serious conflicts. Let's remember the conflict between Turkey and Syria over the Tigris and Euphrates. Between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia due to the Nile River. Between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan due to the Jordan River Basin. In Central Asia, we constantly have these conflicts over the division of water resources. Yes, by the way, scientists also scared that the first nuclear conflict on our planet will break out not between Russia and the United States, but between India and Pakistan due to problems around access to drinking water on the Indian subcontinent. That is, here we have a theme of a rather global conflict that can unfold over what we think is ordinary fresh water. In this sense, is Russia not subject to such influences, fears, and the emergence of certain conflicts? After all, our rivers, as we understand, are also not only our welfare and only our prerogative to use? Here is one of the examples you just gave. Are there others? What conflicts may arise? Where are the pain points?

Nikanorov:

Yes, the problem of water use in the world is becoming a major factor that affects the economy, social sphere, and ensuring regional and national security. And so I want to quote that the 2015 World Economic Forum Global Risks report put forward the water crisis as the number one threat to humanity in terms of expected impact. The report's authors suggest that by 2030, water demand will exceed available water resources by 40%. This is very recent data and it is impossible not to listen to it. As for Russia, as I said earlier, Russia is one of the countries most endowed with water resources and the average long-term renewable resources of Russia account for 10% of the world river flow. It is second in the world after Brazil. That is, in principle, Russia is not facing a water crisis. And on average in our country, per person there is just over 30 thousand cubic meters of water per year. Which significantly exceeds the critical indicator established by the UN. And it is equal to 1.7 thousand cubic meters. That is, the difference is noticeable. And even this minimum level established by the UN guarantees that the minimum needs of the population, the economy and the preservation of the environment are met.

Afonina:

Yes, this is, rather, an answer to a question from one of our radio listeners, probably this is the final remark, one of those who listens to us writes: “The water goes underground. Instead of extracting minerals, we will die of thirst." We won’t die, the expert in our studio tells us, yes, as I understand it, Vadim Anatolyevich?

Nikanorov:

Yes, absolutely true.

Afonina:

We will not be left without fresh water, just like that. Well, thank you very much! With us in the studio was the acting head of the Federal Water Resources Agency, Vadim Nikanorov.

The problem is divided into two parts - violation of hydrogeological and hydrological regime, and quality of water resources.

The development of mineral deposits is accompanied by a sharp decrease in the level of groundwater, the excavation and movement of waste and ore-bearing rocks, the formation of open pits, pits, mine shafts of open and closed reservoirs, subsidence of the earth's crust, dams, dams and other artificial forms of relief. The volume of depressions, excavations and rock shafts is exceptionally large. For example, on the territory of the KMA, the area of ​​groundwater level decline reaches several tens of thousands of square kilometers.

Due to differences in the intensity of use of water resources and technogenic impact on natural geological conditions in the KMA regions, the natural regime of groundwater is significantly disrupted. Due to the decrease in the levels of aquifers in the area of ​​​​the city of Kursk, a depression funnel was formed, which in the west interacts with the depression funnel of the Mikhailovsky mine, so that the radius of the depression funnel exceeds 100 km. On rivers and reservoirs located in the zone of influence of depression funnels, the following occurs:

Ø partial or complete cessation of underground nutrition;

Ø filtration of river water into underlying aquifers when the groundwater level drops below the incision of the hydrographic network;

Ø increase in flow in cases of diversion into surface water bodies after the use of groundwater from deep aquifers not drained by the river.

The total water consumption of the Kursk region is 564.2 thousand m 3 /day, the city of Kursk - 399.3 thousand m 3 /day.

Significant damage to the population's water supply with high-quality water is caused by pollution of open reservoirs and underground aquifers with runoff and industrial waste, which causes a shortage of fresh drinking water. Of the total volume of water used for drinking purposes, 30% comes from decentralized sources. Of the collected water samples, 28% do not meet hygienic requirements, 29.4% do not meet bacteriological indicators. Over 50% of drinking water supply sources do not have sanitary protection zones.

In 1999, harmful substances were discharged into open water bodies of the Kursk region: copper - 0.29 tons, zinc - 0.63 tons, ammonium nitrogen - 0.229 thousand tons, suspended substances - 0.59 thousand tons, petroleum products - 0.01 thousand .T. We monitor 12 outlets of enterprises whose wastewater ends up in surface water bodies.

Almost all monitored water bodies in terms of pollution level belong to the 2nd category, when pollution is caused by several ingredients (MPC - 2MPC). The largest share in the pollution of the largest river of Kursk, the Seima, comes from copper compounds (87%), petroleum products (51%), nitrate nitrogen (62%), ammonium nitrogen (55%), phosphates (41%), synthetic surfactants (29 %).

The groundwater level in the Kursk region ranges from 0.3 m to 100 m (maximum - 115 m). Chemical and bacteriological contamination of groundwater has currently reduced the operational reserves of groundwater and increased the shortage of household and drinking water supply to the population. Chemical pollution is marked by increased content of petroleum products, sulfates, iron, chromium, manganese, organic pollutants, heavy metal chlorides, nitrates and nitrites. The main sources of wastewater pollution are domestic wastewater and waste (1.5 million m3 per year of household waste and 34 million tons of industrial waste of hazard classes 1–4).