| Chechnya ecology condition causes serious
concern 07.08.2004, 11.50 GROZNY, August 7 (Itar-Tass) -- Chechnya is faced with an ecological disaster threat caused by consequences of oil facilities destruction during combat actions and the increasing scope of primitive oil refining, Chechen Security Council Secretary Rudnik Dudayev told Itar- Tass. The data of the local population's health state are indicative of the threat. The number of cases of tuberculosis and virus diseases, particularly hepatitis-A, and intestinal infections has increased sharply in the republic as compared to favourable periods. There is also an unprecedented growth of the number of cancer cases, Dudayev noted. The security council secretary links the diseases causes with the bad condition of the environment. Soils in big cities are contaminated with heavy metals more than the safe levels. Considerable areas are disfigured by waste of primitive refining. Waste storage places and oil product storehouses are overfilled and create danger for ground waters. An underground oil product lake is discovered in the Grozny area. The lake moves towards the Staraya Sunzha water intake system supplying drinking water to the city. There is also everyday-life and building garbage almost covering all the cities, Dudayev noted. According to him, to prevent a disaster, it is necessary to complete comprehensive ecological examination of the republic's territory and clean first the most contaminated areas. At present, no such work is being done, since the federal programme for 2004 does not earmark finances for it, the official said. |