Russia's Medvedev Calls For Comprehensive Probe Into Environmental Incident In Kamchatka

Faizan Hashmi Published October 06, 2020 | 08:00 PM

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday called for a thorough examination of the environmental incident on the Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula and the damage caused to the Pacific Ocean and make public the results of such checks

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th October, 2020) Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday called for a thorough examination of the environmental incident on the Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula and the damage caused to the Pacific Ocean and make public the results of such checks.

"We should thoroughly clarify what happened and how and what are the reasons behind it, and inform all those concerned and, of course, inform the public about it," Medvedev said at a government meeting.

The former prime minister said he had discussed this issue with Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dmitry Kobylkin.

Medvedev said the country is not out of the woods yet in terms of environmental problems despite efforts by the authorities to reduce potential environmental hazards as part of national programs and initiatives, adding that "dangerous sites" currently occupy 77,000 hectares (190,000 acres).

In late September, surfers noticed that the water at a beach in the Kamchatka Territory had changed color and they had developed eye and throat problems as a result. Moreover, images posted on social media showed dead sea animals washed ashore in the area. Activists fear an ecological catastrophe.

Regional authorities have started investigating the incident and have already found hazardous substances in the samples they have collected. The cause of the incident, however, remains unknown.

The situation in Kamchatka is one of the latest ecological incidents Russia has recently faced. Earlier this year, a major oil spill in the Arctic city of Norilsk polluted a lake. Also, the authorities are still working to eliminate pollution resulting from an abandoned chemical plant in the town of Usolye-Sibirskoye in the Irkutsk Region.