21,000 tons of diesel fuel from cracked tanks at the Norilsk CHP plant flooded the Russian tundra beyond the polar circle. Greenpeace calls this the largest ecological disaster in Siberia.
The leak is huge . Experts estimate that oil from the Noril Nickel CHP plant, the world leader in nickel, platinum and palladium production, has contaminated an area of 180,000 square meters. Greenpeace has pre-estimated environmental damage at 87 million. dollars.
The problem is huge, the leakage of diesel oil has polluted the entire ecosystem there. The amount of toxic chemicals in Norilsk exceeds the allowable norms by tens of thousands of times. The pollution is so serious that the Kremlin decided to introduce a state of emergency and to send a 100-person chemical rescue group to remove the effects of the leak.
How did the leak occur in Siberia?
The initial official version showed that the tank depressurized after hitting a passenger car that was heading for the CHP plant. Representatives of Noril Nickel, however, say that, yes, there was such a collision, but the depressurization has already occurred, and the car hit the tank because it slipped on spilled diesel on the road.
The Russian company blames the effects of global warming. The rising temperatures in Siberia are melting permafrost and the foundations of all the buildings there are melting. The authors of the report of the Arctic Council of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program of 2017 estimate that since 2010 permafrost lift has decreased by about 20 percent. This trend will continue, which means that in the future Siberia may have several more environmental disasters.
Unsealing the Noril Nickel fuel tank is not the first accident caused by foundation settlements. Last week there was a leak from the main oil pipeline in the Urals, belonging to the Transneft group. Its representatives, however, ensure that the leakage is small and did not lead to environmental contamination. This time it worked out. However, without stopping the permafrost melting process, it's only a matter of time until another oil pipeline begins to lose oil. So far, Russia has not presented any long-term plan, which would be to protect the remaining structures dangerous for the environment built on permafrost. And it's getting warmer ...
Tens of thousands of tons of oil have polluted the tundra. Russians blame global warming
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