MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2020) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that hazardous facilities had been decontaminated in the Siberian city of Usolye-Sibirskoye in Irkutsk region, the risk of an ecological catastrophe had been averted, and life support systems had not been allowed to fail.
"The most dangerous objects have been localized and eliminated � this, of course, is the most important thing, the spread of a toxic stain, the ingress of chemicals into waterways. The consequences could be unpredictable. In fact, we managed to prevent the risk of a real ecological disaster, if not a catastrophe," he said at a meeting on the issue.
The president added that a direct threat to the life and health of citizens living in this territory had been eliminated, with no disruptions in the functioning of the city's vital facilities.
The industrial site in Usolye-Sibirskoye was previously used for the production of chemical products by the Usoliekhimprom enterprise, which ceased production activities back in 2010. Following the termination of production, a significant amount of waste was placed in underground tanks, as a result of which soil and underground waters were saturated with hazardous chemicals.
Earlier this year, Putin instructed Rosatom to eliminate environmental pollution in Usolye-Sibirskoye, with the defense ministry and the emergencies ministry being engaged in the effort. In addition, the president instructed the government to develop a road map to eliminate environmental damage within three months.
