Baksan River at the Foot of Mount Elbrus Cleared of Debris

The press service of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources reported that the cleanup of 13 kilometers of the Baksan River in Kabardino-Balkaria has been completed. The river originates from the Azaou glaciers and flows through the federally protected natural area of the Elbrus National Park.

The main source of pollution in the river was woody debris and mud-stone deposits from the mountains. In some areas,entire islands of rock debris, boulders, trunks, large branches, and driftwood had formed. Rosvodresurs allocated almost 250 million rubles for the cleanup. The work has improved the environmental conditions for 5,000 people living in settlements along the river.

This year, the federal project "Preservation of Unique Water Objects" within the national project "Ecology" is being implemented in 50 regions of the country. In total, it is planned to clean 177 kilometers of riverbeds and restore water areas with a total area of more than 3.9 thousand hectares. By the end of the year, 2.2 million Russians will feel the effects of this work.