i1.nd65 65 gi413.indd 1 October 25,1917,saw hardOctober timesfor pond after period The post-revolutionary recreational infrastructure ofthe Tsarist . played asignificant role intheeconomy and lands withwater. ofponds Construction because oftheneedto supplytheagricultural became widespread areas inthearid primarily duck breeding andfor otherpurposes. Ponds although theywere alsousedingooseand oflocalponds, This wasthemainfunction provided power for millsandsawmills. the pondsinruralareas ofNechernozemye recreational purposes. Water released from pondswereof the20th,city mostly usedfor Russia before the1917revolution. Attheturn in ofpondswaswide-spread Construction disintegration offamilyrelationships.of karst, abrasion, landslideprocesses, intensification complex, environmental wood, damage, drift giant reservoir,overflowing, large industrial man-made seasinRussia. This paperdiscussestheproblem ofponds and of theSovietscientiststransforming thenature. consider themasanundisputed achievement especially ontheplains, have beentoo highto seas, constructing, andoperatingtheartificial ways.two The costsinvolved indesigning, thenatureseas impacted andthepeoplein of humanlife, whilenewlycreated man-made insomeaspects ponds losttheirimportance andlarge ponds.reservoirs As timewent by, 4 3 2 Sergey P. Gorshkov Ozerskiy * INTRODUCTION KEY WORDS: ABSTRACT. IN RUSSIA FROM PONDS TO MAN-MADE SEAS Environmental Centre, Initiatives Design Bureau, LLC The University ofOrleans Faculty ofGeography, Lomonosov State University Krasnoyarsk Mining andGeological CompanyKrasnoyarsk Mining , e-mail: [email protected] Corresponding author,e-mail: 4 , LarissaS.Evseeva

Russia hasmore than2200 mega projects, quantumleap, 1 *, Laurent Touchart 1 2 , OlgaI.Mochalova shortly after that, the network was that,theGULAG after network shortly 1956, thecultofStalinwasexposedand In them were scrappedaltogether. not managedinthebestway either. Someof potential alsodiminished. pondswere Urban lack ofproper care. Therefore, theirrecreational rural areas, gradually fell into disusedueto Many ponds, thoughstillremaining inthe caused theagricultural landsto beflooded. which ofreservoirs, well asmassive overflows were outofoperationdueto wear andtear, as the1950s,By almostall water and windengines had about60,000water engines. the country the1930s, upon andimposedbyJosefStalin.In wasforced obsession withgigantic projects. It in mind.purpose an more like This looked issue. seaswere Man-made created withthis were regarded asaway ofdealing withthis at thattime. Large hydroelectric power stations one ofthemainproblems facingthecountry Providing power was economy withelectric coercion, punitive measures, andpropaganda. development andindustrial using the military economic measures aquantumleapin to make henchmen took tough extremely socialand ownership andthepublic. JosefStalinandhis questionable decisionsrelating to land somehighly hadto make the authorities and GULAG camps. Underthecircumstances, took placeamidtherepressive crackdown industry aimed atdeveloping themilitary andindustrialization and collectivization, 1920sand1930s,in theearly dekulakization cropby thegovernment, failures andfamines Civil War of1917–1922,confiscationfood under development, whichwasonlynatural the existing totalitarian regime.the existingtotalitarian The 3 , Andrey Yu. 50.049:17:31 9:17:31 15.01.2014

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6 66 ENVIRONMENT 6 were usedfor breeding fish. They provided To give you anexample, ponds Moscow There were farmore pondsinthepast. the planet. explorationof bytheunbridled disturbed much and non-livingmatter isalready very biota theplanetary between interaction mechanism controlled bythefine-tuned of thepast.Meanwhile, thebiosphere damaging to thepopulation,are a thing seas, whichwere disastrous for wildlife and ofman-made andoverflowing Russian rivers guarantee thatfragmentation ofthegreat in thewater industry. However, there isno fundstoto financemegaprojects attract hasbecomeincreasinglyrivers. difficult It the nature ofmajor didnotchangeinterms though partially. The traditionofconquering in Moscow, anditisbeingimplemented, of pondsreclamation recently gotunderway washouts andsliding. However, theprogram while thebanksare notprotected against for lost theirnaturalcapacity self-purification, to bepoorthangood. pondshavelikely Most ofwater fromthe quality pondsnowismore of theRussianFederation. Even inMoscow, anybring improvement to thepondsector The return to capitalisminthe1990sdidnot structures. churches, bridges, andcivilengineering archaeological sites, ancientmonuments, as well asvastareas ofmarshes, forests, woody, andeven tundrapasture lands, areas ofarableland, grasslands, steppe, hundreds ofsettlements, several cities, huge the largest man-madeseasthatflooded with thisway Russiabecamethecountry In the firsthumanspaceflightof Yuri Gagarin. anachievementto equalto lookalmostlike man-made seawasmade of anenormous orthecreationthe tallestdaminworld propaganda of campaign, theconstruction War II,grew significantly. With thehelpof power ofthecountry, whichwon the World exploiting convicts. However, technological regime meantfewer possibilitiesfor abandoned. More benevolent totalitarian PONDS the banks, fillingwithfresh water, reclaiming protecting from sewagewaters, landscaping thebottomcovering withgravel andsand, polluted water, litter, collecting dredging, standards include:pumping of the sanitary thepondswithin aimedatkeeping Activities protected againstwashoutsandsliding. for andthebanksare self-purification not of thepondshave losttheirnaturalcapacity Moscow’s ratherlow. pondsisoften Most and rainwater. ofwater inThe quality subterranean-, Ponds are filledwithsurface-, forSome pondsare reserved swimming. (Fig. 2). They are mainlyusedfor recreation. Nowadays, hassome76ponds Moscow Prudy (CleanPonds) (Fig. 1). Since then,thepondisreferred to asChistye the pondandordered to stop pollutingit. Menshikov was nicknamed Tower, cleaned which built achurch deepinthecourtyard, had belongedto himsince1699. The Prince Gate of thestreetcorner attheMyasnitsky bought thislandplot. The buildingonthe Peter theGreat, Prince AlexanderMenshikov (Rotten) for thatreason. thereign During of discharged into thepondcalledPogany Chistoprudny Boulevard. Wastewater was to waslocatedslaughterhouse next the17thcentury, theZhivotinny In Dvor shut down. used for sewagedisposalandin1910itwas Pond was the 19thcentury, theKrasnoselsky However, gradually. ithasbeingshrinking In area was23hectares.as Krasnoselsky.Its from thattimeonthepondbecame known was founded notfarfrom thepond, so Later, aroyal villagecalledKrasnoselskoye to asthe Great intheAnnalssince1423. oldest pondsinMoscow, whichwasreferred called theGreat Pond. That wasoneofthe site oftheancientRedPond, whichwasalso Yaroslavsky Stationislocated atthe Railway offiction. works The present-day Moscow’s recordsin historical oronthepagesof Now, many ofthemcanonlybefound shutdownabout700ponds.authorities thelastfewDuring centuries, thecity for washingclothesandeven for bathing. water for fighting fires. People usedthem 115.01.2014 9:17:31 5 . 0 1 . 2 0 1 4

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6 on thefields;b)bycreating forest strips snow in agricultural soils:a)bycompacting offered to capture andaccumulate moisture devastating in1890–1892. V.V. Dokuchayev crop failures. These disasters were especially increased damagefrom severe droughts and dueto the Russia sincethe19thcentury areasarid European ofCentral andSouthern Ponds were inespeciallyhighdemand engines. the bestpotential for thecreation ofpond well-supplied withwater resources, had The Nechernozemye region, sinceitwas commonly usedintheagricultural sector. running onwater from thepondswere farms, andsawmillscollective watermills formation of which ledto thecompulsory Soviet erabefore thecollectivization, Both inthe Tsarist the Russiaandduring ..., 2007]. Ponds [Moscow number ofotheractivities organisms, installingfeeders for birds, anda introducingthe adjacentterrain, aquatic 7 Fig. 1. Chistye Prudy in Moscow in Prudy 1.Fig. Chistye Station (presently the Kuybyshevskaya ago. oftheZhiguliHydropowerThe project Russia’s rivershasoriginated alongtime The ideato tapthe power ofthelargest [Shipunov, 1988]. which causedtherurallandsto beflooded ofreservoirs, because ofmassive overflows out ofoperationdueto wear andtear, and almost allwater andwindengines were inthe1930s. the1950s, By in thecountry 60,000 water engines were stillinoperation microclimate andincreased yields. About fieldsshowed improvedExperimental and Dnepropetrovsk proved to beefficient. regionsin sucharid as Voronezh, Kharkov, measuresthese andsomeotheremergency of floodthem.Deployment temporarily to the lowland meadowsandfieldsto thaw, whichthiswater after isredirected the accumulating water inthepondsduring from beingblownaway bywind; andc)by to accumulate snowandto prevent snow MAN-MADE SEAS 115.01.2014 9:17:31 5 . 0 1 . 2 0 1 4

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6 68 ENVIRONMENT 8 of by A. Krutikov as early asin1906. asearly byA.Krutikov The of Irkutsk waspresented to thegovernor-general The BratskHydropower onthe Stationproject developed in1913byG.M.Krzhizhanovsky. Station) onthe was Hydropower Fig. 2. Map of Moscow ponds [Moscow Ponds ..., 2007] ..., Ponds [Moscow ponds Moscow of Map 2. Fig. and industrial development using coercion, developmentand industrial usingcoercion, aquantumleapinthefieldofmilitary to make tough social andeconomicmeasures inorder forced JosefStalinandhisentourage to use political situationinEurope in1920s–1930s 115.01.2014 9:17:31 5 . 0 1 . 2 0 1 4

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6 Mologo- interstream areaMologo-Sheksna together with thebanks, floodedtheplainand overflowed the Volga, theSheksna,and waters of 13,1941.Spring shut downonApril loved ones. Seadamgates wereThe and graves oftheirfamilymembersand hard to build very houses thattheyworked People hadto leave theiroldcomfortable had to move outfrom theUpper Volga valley. Sheksna interstream area and20thousand people were relocated from theMologo- for centuries. For example, 130thousand of peoplewhohadbeenlivinginthearea the Volga River. ruinedthelivesThis project of for thepeoplelivinginUpperparts proved construction to beareal tragedy Its was theworld’s largest atthattime. man-madeseaof4,6thousandsq.km Rybinsk was themainpower generatingfacility. The HPP cities. Outofthosethree, theRybinskaya region,Moscow andseveral neighbouring plantsandotherfacilitiesinMoscow, military the World War IIprovided power supplyto the HPPthatwere before constructed Rybinskaya andpartly Uglichskaya, The Ivankovskaya, center,in thecountry’s including Moscow. reaches dueto power theneedfor electric firstlyinthe its construction Volga upper cascade ofHPP. wasgiven to The priority ofthe with theconstruction Volga- area oftheUSSRislargely associated oftheEuropean Central parts andEastern supply forinthe enterprises industrial The Volga River basin. 1989,p.records 20]. [Cherkasova, boundless andwere beating all oftheworld man-made seaswere becomingeven more common senseandscience. Atthesametime, capacities exceeded thelimitsestablishedby meantthatpower often stations his corrections that Stalinpersonallyadjusted thedesigns, and the plantswithmaximalcapacity. isrumoured It made seasinthecountry. The planwasto build this issue. This signalled theadvent ofman- (HPP) were regarded asaway ofdealingwith top Large priorities. hydroelectric power plants withpower supplywasoneofthe industry punitive measures, andpropaganda. Providing 9 The rise inpower The rise the M ologa rivers ologa rivers sea area is6,500sq. km in itscommissioning(Fig. 3). The Kuybyshev participated 1958,N.S.Khrushchev October 1950and1959.In between was constructed II. HPP,The largest ofthose, Kuybyshevskaya continued inthe Volga basinafter World War ofhydroelectricConstruction power stations toil andawful livingconditions. convicts, many ofwhomdiedthisgrinding were basicallybytheGULAG constructed into considerationthatthepower stations sufferings oflocalpeople, oneshouldtake environmental andsocialdamage and additionto theabove-mentioned high. In defending Moscow, wasimmeasurably of thesethree HPP, whichwere vitalfor andmiraculouspreservation construction energy oftheGreat Volga. The truecostof power, whichwasproduced the converting troops.the German neededelectric Moscow from whichhelpedsavingfactors Moscow Volga gigantic damsbecameoneofthe case, theUpper theabove-mentioned In power stationswere inthenear-front zone. 1941 [Burdin, 2010].Allthree hydroelectric not destroyed bybombingintheautumnof HPPwere andIvankovskaya Uglichskaya, somemiracle,By theRybinskaya, [Danilov,opened inRybinsk 2003]. of thisdisaster, Region theMologa Museumwas withgravestones.cemetery commemoration In street pavements, housefoundations, anda seafalls, onecansometimessee the Rybinsk into ahugegrave ofwater. When water level in Scheksna area, oncealandofplenty, wasturned and culturalsites hadalsogone. The Mologo- ofwoods,3,675 sq. ancientmonuments, km flood plainmeadows, pastures, oakforests, land,thousands ofhectaresfertile thefamous area. About800villageshadgoneunderwater, and over 4,000householdsgotinto theflooded reservoir,went to thebottom oftheRybinsk Almost27,000households ofMologa. the city generated bythe Volga-Kama cascade. 29 mhigh. The HPPprovides 27%ofpower level near thedamis Backwater is 34cub. km. live storage andreservoir is58cub.capacity km gross storage Its among thevalleyreservoirs. largest water-storage basin intheworld

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7 70 ENVIRONMENT 0 The banks of the mighty Russian river are being are Russianriver being The banksofthemighty andstillcontinuesto deteriorate. of thereservoir the V many scientistsandexperts. in more thangood, harm asclaimedby existence oftheKuybyshevseahadresulted V. Yakovlev, emphasized in2005that50years of Professor State University, oftheKazan olga River worsened with the construction worsenedolga River withtheconstruction Fig. 3. N.S. Khrushchev at the opening of the Zhigulevskaya HPP in October, 1958 October, in HPP Zhigulevskaya the of opening the at Khrushchev N.S. 3. Fig. Fig. 4. Map of the Volga-Kama cascade of reservoirs of cascade Volga-Kama the of Map 4. Fig. Water in quality on the construction oftheKuybyshevwater-on theconstruction of thegiant reservoir. Was decided itcorrectly for example, Spasskthatare nowatthebottom cemeteries, andentire villagesandeven cities, were considered churches, naturalsanctuaries, There are dozens ofmagnificent islandsthat are beingflooded, andpeopleare suffering. destroyed, fishisdying, buildingsandstructures 115.01.2014 9:17:31 5 . 0 1 . 2 0 1 4

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7 km, itsgross is8,8cub. storagekm, capacity km, sea ofNovosibirsk hasanarea of1,082sq. offinNovosibirsk. The Obwasblocked The theprojectwasbanned. after shortly hydrocarbon wasdone crude, whichinfact to depositsof discover soontherichest flood thearea, where geologists promise the monstrous-sized man-madeseawould M.A. Lavrentyev. The scientistappealedthat Branch oftheUSSRAcademy ofSciences the request ofthePresident oftheSiberian at bannedthisconstruction N.S. Krushchev Volga-Kama cascade[Novosti Yugry ...,2011]. much asthepower generated bythewhole kWh ofpower peryear, whichisjustas peryear,400 cub. km producing 35billion cub. m,withtheannualrunoffofOb andavolume of1,600 of 113,000sq. km, area with adamof42mhigh,reservoir HPP for theoptionofNizhne-Obskaya River. expressed apreferenceThe experts the HPPinlower reaches oftheOb of had to decideabouttheconstruction inJanuary, 1963. in Moscow The meeting the State Planning Committee took place Commission of expert the governmental could. followed.The projects Ameetingof much asanyone, anywhere, andatany time immediately from natureaimed attaking as represent anobsessionwithgigantic projects The ObRiver basin. of renewable energy ofthecountry. most valuableon-peakenergy. isalso22% It outputandisthe almost 4%ofthecountry’s was 38,5billionkWh,whichisequivalentto power output the annualaverage primary of thecascadeexceeded 12,870MW, and of the2010s, thetotal rated outputpower of the Volga-Don shipcanal. thebeginning By atthelower River end Canal andontheDon ofthe the rivers Volga basin,theMoskva-Volga Dams, andtheHPPare reservoirs, located on (Fig. isaround 26,000sq.reservoirs km 4). entireThe area ofthe Volga-Kama cascade aswell. history not onlyanenvironmental refers issue. It to our theopinionof cascade? In V. Yakovlev, thisis storage basin andthewholegreat Volga-Kama 1 The activities there The activities

Gidroenergoproyekt, wasthe authorofthis atthe Moscow N.A. Grigorovich, working water level bythelarger amountofwater. also possibleto drop theuntouchable lake’s you canseefrom theprevious figures, itwas could have beenlowered by4m.However, as means ofexplosion. water level Lake The Baikal slot intheheadwater rocks oftheAngaraby resources. a25-meter They suggested making water oftheancientlake it possibleto spendpart in1957. Lake oftheBaikal integrity They thought hydraulic engineers to have tried astabatthe super-efficiency, pursuitofamomentary In implemented inthepost-war years. Angararegion.in theMiddle The ideawas with thecreation ofalarge complex industrial development oftheAngaraenergy resources plan. Professor associated the N.N.Kolosovsky to theGOELRO asacontribution Angara River a HPPcascadeinthemiddlereaches ofthe 1920,A.A. In Velner suggested constructing Lake. flowsfrom thattheriver theBaikal fact relatively dueto the regular annualrun-off oneformost attractive engineers for ithasa whichhasalwaysthe AngaraRiver beenthe Here, inadditionto the Yenisei River, there is hydraulic engineers more thanotherregions. to theEastof Yenisei interested River and otherdiverse naturalresources, theSiberia The Yenisei River basin. oftheObRiver). tributary (left River the Irtysh HPPwere in constructed Kamenogorskaya andthe lake) HPP(banked-up Zaysanskaya downstream belowthedam. 300 km The within traffic inthefloodlandcanbetracked of the Tsymlyansk reservoir. Signs ofboat floodlandinthetailwater River pool Don traffic andlostitsforage value, aswell asthe wasmadesuitableforof thereservoir boat earth. The floodlandinthetailwater pool elevated areas mostlycovered withblack water-storage basinfloodedlowandsome output of1,7billionkWhperyear. The is455MWwiththepower The HPPcapacity power stationwasbuiltin1953–1959. the damheightis28m. The hydroelectric live storage and its reservoir is4,4cub. km, Rich inhydropowerRich 115.01.2014 9:17:32 5 . 0 1 . 2 0 1 4

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7 72 ENVIRONMENT 2 the construction ofthisHPPwasdonethe construction anddrawdowncub. level is1,5m. km, live storage reservoir is2,859,4 cub. km, thegross870 sq. is storage km, capacity man-madesea:itsareaThe Ust-Ilimsk is kWh ofpower peryear. Mw. generates from 19,0to It 26,5billion height is147m. is4,515 The HPPcapacity 1954and1967. occurred between The dam and drawdown level is7m. The construction live storage reservoir is35.4cub. km, km, thegrosssq. is169cub. storage km, capacity area is5,470 The Bratskman-madesea:Its 4,1 billionkWhperyear. is662MWwiththepower outputof capacity 1950and1958.Its between was constructed m, sometimesitgoesupby1,4m. The HPP wasraisedby1 Lake The level oftheBaikal pond). damis44m. The heightoftheIrkutsk to thestorage (31,500sq. km Lake with Baikal man-madesea:31,965sq. km The Irkutsk Cascade HPP(Fig. 5)isasfollows: At present, thestatisticsonAngara dangerous [Plyusnina, project Dalzhinova2008]. project. The biologists managedto banthis (construction of the Boguchanskaya HPP HPP Boguchanskaya the of (construction Fig. 5. Map of the Angara cascade of HPP HPP of cascade Angara the of 5.Map Fig. is not completed) – Over 5,300 ha of the reservoir coastland 5,300haofthereservoir Over – Forests were preparation cutduring – Several hundred thousandshectares – oflandwas flooded, inclu- 7,600sq. km – oftheAngaracascade: construction Here are thelossesthatoccurred dueto the kWh. average annualproductionis21,7billion m high. is3,840MW,The HPPcapacity the 1963and1980. between The

underwater. move. 3mln. cub. Over mofwood went Several thousandsresidents hadto were eitherdestroyed orrelocated. erosion. 500housesandfarms Over andsubsurface intensification ofkarst, detachment, aswell asto flooding, landslide processes, landmasses was destroyed andlostdueto abrasion, taimen, andlenokdisappeared. sturgeon,as sterlet, cisco, grayling, took place. Valuable fish speciessuch from wood decay. Eutrophication contaminated withhydrogen sulphide bottom waters ofthewater bodywere seas were wood, cloggedbydrift and man-madethe BratskandUst-Ilimsk m) were submerged, thewaters of wood andlivingforests (35mln.cub. ofthecut part in humidweather; theforestsome attempts ofburning beds;there wereof thereservoir construction. residence, whichwere floodeddueto the relocated from theirprevious placesof order to accommodate 102,000residents transformed andruralareas into urban in of forest andsteppe-forest landswere railway track. ofthe together with110km underwater over went theAngaraRiver The bridge aswell asmore than300villages., areas withthecitiesofBalaganskandOld ofotherlands, includingresidentialsq. km pastures, offorests, 5,000sq. km and300 ofplough-landsand ding 2,300sq. km dam is105 115.01.2014 9:17:32 5 . 0 1 . 2 0 1 4

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7 for 500 km downstreamfor belowthedam. 500km stretchesthe tailwater pool of thereservoir winters,and smog. warm During polynya in year butespeciallyinwinter, causingfogs throughoutembraces thewholecity the comingfromair humidity the Yenisei, swimming inthisseaimpossible. Increased (around 12°Cdegrees) insummermakes Low water temperature ofKrasnoyarsk. city inthe aboutearthquakes sometimes bring ofthewaterViolent bodylevel fluctuations kWh peryear. 6,000 MW. The power outputis20,0billion rate is19m. fluctuation is The HPPcapacity 1956and1972. between The maximum level wasconstructed the damis124mhigh.It live storage and reservoir is30,4cub. km, gross is73,3cub. storagekm, capacity Km, sea:itsarea is2,000sq.The Krasnoyarsk Yenisei River. Two man-madeseaswere created onthe coastal shelfandfishyieldfell by2,5times. Spawning conditionsdeteriorated on the subgrade waswashedoutinsomeplaces. back by4–20m. The Trans-Siberian railway level raisedby1m. The coastlinemoved which stretches withthewater for 1,800km – Coastal abrasionofthechoked operationissues[Gorshkov, 2001]. transport ofhealththeSiberians,deterioration and fogs, air, accumulationofpollutantsinurban arefacts thereason for and highairhumidity HPPdams.Ust-Ilimsk The above-mentioned Bratskand polynyas stretch from theIrkutsk, – doesnotfreezeThe AngaraRiver inwinter: affects The Angaracascadeofreservoirs – The biosphere lostalmost100mln.tons – 3

in spring and the warm period inautumn. period andthewarm in spring adjacent areas, thecoldperiod extending the climate andphenological phasesofthe from thefloodedarea. damage causedbyout-migrants moved forest. There wasalsoenvironmental ofsteppe- oftaigaand2,300sq. km sq. km of phytomass dueto thefloodingof5,000 the maximumdamheight of 200m,the in the1980s. Taking into consideration East ofthe Turukhansk putforward on theNizhnyaya Tunguska River, to the HPP isthe giantmajor concern Evenkiyskaya ahead,Looking we shouldnote thatthe [Gorshkov,as homemadecrafts 2001]. fishingandhunting,cattle-breeding, aswell if wecombinedwith considerfarming are brought to anendorsignificantly limited ofthelocalresidents – Economicactivities homes andthegraves oftheancestors. fromaliens atthenewplacesbeingtorn their until thelastmoment. They feel themselves hold onto theirhomesandgardens literally oldpeople hard for theelderly: isparticularly It – the disintegration offamilyrelationships. unwittingly activates flooded byareservoir – Relocationofpeoplefrom thearea to be conduct. alcohol abuse, debauchery, anddisorderly released have convicts increased rate, crime Areas activities. populatedpreparatory by of penalcolonies, deforestation, andother prepared for floodingdueto therelocation isbeing when thewould-be bedofareservoir – complicated The situationbecomesvery andS.P.Bezrukov Yelin, are asfollows: accordingmade seasinSiberia, to L.A. Social changescausedbytheHPPman- that happenedonAugust 17,2009. 12,0 kWhperyear theaccident in2010after 22,8 billionkWhperyear in2000andonly 1963and2000. between The HPPprovided wasconstructed HPP damheightis245m.It live storage and reservoir is15,3cub. km. The gross is31,3cub. storagekm, capacity km, seaarea is633sq.The Sayano-Shushenskoye dam [Gorshkov, etal., Mochalova, 2010]. fragmentationof theriver causedbytheHPP areas. There are someothernegative effects This isdangerous for thecoastalresidential theseasonalflood. during winter andspring icefloodingsareChoked quite in often 115.01.2014 9:17:32 5 . 0 1 . 2 0 1 4

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7 74 ENVIRONMENT 4 aimed at developing the military industry industry aimed atdeveloping themilitary andindustrialization and collectivization, 1920sand1930s,the early dekulakization cropthe government, failures andfaminesin 25, 1917. The civil war, confiscationoffood by regime therevolution eraafter ofOctober the better thetotalitarian took placeduring development of Tsarist Russia.Nochangesto oftheeconomy andrecreationalpart ofpondswasa prominentConstruction proximity to the Turukhansk village. and naturalgasdepositsare located inaclose is notfeasible, into considerationthatoil taking ontheNizhnyaya construction Tunguska River in2003. that took placeinMoscow The HPP atthe was reported World Climate Conference USA inwintertime. The Quebeccascadedisaster cascade were power from to the buyelectric the southofprovince. Consumers ofthe toGrande River thecitieslocated downto theHPPcascadeonLa- lines connecting 2000swithintheoverhead late 1990sandearly A similarsituationhappenedinQuebecthe towers. accidentsare highlyprobable. Industrial icing-up ofwires andeven power-transmission forCentral thelast20years, there canbe winter,during whichhave of beentypical With regard to unstabletemperature conditions will have water withsignificant saltcontent. is 1,5g/l. Estimates showthattheEvenk sea of theEvenk level Autonomous salinity Area. Its Tunguska nearthe River Tura village, thecapital content canbefound inwinter intheNizhnyaya be seeneven now. Therefore, water withsalt Signs ofthiscan penetration into thelake-sea. [Borisov, 1996]. There oftheirincreasing isarisk withmineralizationofup to 300–400g/l brines is thebedofawould-be reservoir. These are andthat bycryopegs permafrost isunderlain are covered withlifeless r would remain above water. they Mostly valley slopesoftheriver anditstributaries subzones ofreindeer pastures. High both cases, flooding would cover thenorth option, thedamheightwould be140m.In Accordingfor to 1,200km. amoderate andthewater body wouldsq. stretch km flooded area would cover almost10,000 CONCLUSIONS ock streams. Here, remained on the Earth bytheendof20 remained ontheEarth ofthelivingmatter less thanone-half Something otherisrequired bytime. Slightly Tunguska River. HPPontheNizhnyaya for theEvenkiyskaya unacceptable, ofagiant damandthesea on theAngaraRiver, andwhatistotally inthebasinofAmurRiver,reservoirs of environmentally hazardous large HPP ofplansfor construction and preservation system inourcountry the pondconstruction sluggish attitudestowards the remnants of This, inparticular, isthereason for their as itisthecaseindeveloped countries. economic, andenvironmental humanrights ready to to defend combineefforts social, and othercircumstances are not,infact, ofthepast former USSR,inviewofinertia both intheRussianFederation andthe inthesphere ofnaturalresources,makers gained afoothold inthecountry. Decision- 1967]. Anobsessionwithgigantic projects [Sidorenko, andauthorities by theministries Natural resources were useddestructively manandthenature. between at interaction negatively strategy thegovernmental aimed influenced camps. Alltheabove-mentioned amid repressive andtheGULAG crackdown took place againstlossoflife in World War II waters and, consequently, for thefunctioning for oftheworld primarily thequality important conditionis oceanzone.pericontinental Its thein-landriverbasinsand between onthenaturallinks has anegative impact also shaping mechanismofthebiosphere. It a multifaceted damageto theenvironment- nature notonlyat theregional causes level. It ishazardous impact to thehumanbeingsand approach. international contemporary The in Russialooksunacceptablecompared to the and fragmentation ofmajorriverswithdams to thestrategy ofman-madeseasconstruction ontheEarth’spositive impact climate. Keeping economy are beingintroduced. That hasa being shaped, anddifferent ofgreen types being restored, environmental is framework forestsrecently alsoinChinaandIndia, are thedeveloped et al., countries, and 2000].In [Watson, oftheworld of theterrestrial parts development dueto theunbridled century 115.01.2014 9:17:32 5 . 0 1 th . 2 0

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7 Watson, R.T., Noble, I.R.,Bolin,B., etal. (2000).Landuse, land-usechange, andforestry. 14. Sidorenko, A.V. (1967).Man, Technology, М.,Nedra. Earth. 13. Shipunov, F.Ya. (1988).Look atyour house. 240p. М.,Sovremennik, 12. Plyusnina, V.V., Dalzhinova,I.A.(2008). The Angaracascade. Environmental (2nd impact 11. (NewsofUgra), 8,2011. December Novosti Ugry 10. Ponds Moscow ofponds, (past and present): tech- characteristics technology andbrief 9. Lisitsyn,A.P. (2004).Sediment andcontaminantfluxes inthe World andglobalmoni- Ocean 8. Gorshkov, S.P., O.I. L.S.Evseeva(2010).Specificfeatures Mochalova, ofthetemperature 7. Gorshkov, S.P. ofthebiosphere. M.,Faculty Introduction. (2007).Doctrine ofGeography, 6. Gorshkov, S.P. (2001).Conceptual basicsofgeoecology. 2-nded. Moscow, Zheldorizdat, 5. Danilov, A.Yu. andcontemporaneity. Reservoir. Rybinsk, Rybinsk History (2003).. 4. where M.(1989).Hydro are gigantohegemony: Pub- itsroots? Znaniye-Sila Cherkasova, 3. Burdin, engineering inRussia:from E.A.(2010).Hydraulic Volgostroy to theGreat Volga 2. Borisov, V.N. (1996).Features oftheclimate onhydrosphere andtechnogenesis impact 1. to level. raisethisissueattheinternational [Lisitsyn, 2004;Gorshkov, isnecessary 2007].It of themainheatingmechanismEarth 5 REFERENCES Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, University Cambridge Cambridge: 377p. University, Ulan-Ude. Publishing HouseoftheBuryat 144p.half ofthe20thcentury). etc.).Ivanchenko, M.,Galereya, 176p. nological features (authors (2007)Ed. byS.V.V.P. Kryuchkov Grinev, Gromov, K.A. V.N. Rio,pp. methods.toring Johannesburg: milestones. Stockholm, crisis 133–193. M.,Nauka, tion andscienceinRussia:pastpresent. St.-Petersburg, pp. 235–242. VVM, signal thesecondhalfofXX during Geographical inCentral Siberia educa- century. In: Lomonosov State University, Moscow 118p. 570 p. Podvorye PublishingRybinskoye House, 208p. lishing House, No. 4,pp. 20–27. theUlyanovskState Pedagogical(1930–1980). , University, 222p. factors. Ed. by V.I. Osipov. М.,Nedra,pp. 93–113. changesinthelithosphere undertheinfluenceofnaturalandanthropogenic Modern In: platform). Siberian zone (casestudyoftheNorth areas ofcryolithic in thebrine-bearing Sergey P. Gorshkov more than 200publications, including8monographs. onlocal,interaction regional and globallevels. Heisauthorof uptheproblems relatedtaking to thebiosphere andmankind republics. recent During 40years hasbeen Sergey Gorshkov region, Murmansk krai, Tyvain theKrasnoyarsky andKhakass graduating asgeomorphologist hewasengagedinfieldresearch mineralogical sciences, DScingeography. 1956after In State University, Faculty ofGeography, PhD ingeological- and the pericontinental ocean zone.and thepericontinental thesystem ofin-landriverbasins preserve Protection to measures shouldbetaken isProfessor oftheLomonosov Moscow  115.01.2014 9:17:32 5 . 0 1 . 2 0 1 4

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76 ENVIRONMENT LarissaS.Evseeva Andrey Yu., PhD Ozerskiy ingeological-mineralogical sciences, OlgaI.Mochalova Laurent Touchart isProfessor ofUniversit author ofmore than100scientificworks. of pondsandwetland basinsontherunoffformation. Sheisthe on naturalcomplexes transformation inriver valleys, theinfluence studies globalenvironmental changes, theinfluenceofreservoirs University. Sheengagesinhydrological runoff calculations, of Hydrology, Faculty ofGeography, Lomonosov State Moscow of Environmental Geochemistry” (2008). “Coal BaseofRussia” (2003),authorofthetextbook “Fundamentals author ofmonographs: Coal Basin”“Kansko-Achinskiy (1996), 150 publicationsonhydrogeology, co- geochemistry, ecology; prospecting” and Prospector”.“Honorary Heistheauthorofover ofNaturalResources andEcology Russian Ministry “Excellent JointStock Company,Mining-Geological awarded ofthe marks oftheKrasnoyarsk Head oftheGeoecological Department ofabout30 publications. is theauthor(co-author) infrastructure intheMzimtavalley. oftransport She construction andRhone,soasthelinear ontheAngaraRiver reservoirs transformation ofthelandscapestructuredueto thecreation of thestudies theclimate Siberia, changeintheEastern Environmental Center, Initiatives geographer, geoecologist. She Limousin, France. regimestudies thethermal ofthepondsin andwater quality He onclimate Siberia. changeintheEastern number ofarticles biogeography ofRussia.Hehasa andclimaticcharacteristics 12 monographs. Heistheauthorofseveral bookson limnologist, theauthorofmore than100publication,including –PhD, SeniorResearcher oftheDepartment –PhD, atthe Headofthedepartment y ofOrleans , geographer, 50.049:17:32 9:17:32 15.01.2014