[Thematic report ]: environmental problems of the sea of Azovby Nikolay Dagaev | 20-06-2020 22:24 |
|---|
  I spent my entire childhood in Taganrog , a small southern city located on the coast of the sea of Azov. For those who first hear about this sea, I want to say that it is truly unique. This is the shallowest sea on the planet Earth, thanks to which there is a healing silt with bioactive substances on the surface, which is used for the treatment of people by numerous sanatoriums on its coast. Low salinity makes it possible for both freshwater and marine living organisms to coexist in it. There is a lot of phytoplankton and benthic, in which the main mass is accounted for by shellfish. There are 103 species of fish, which can be divided into four categories. The first are pass-throughs, that is, those that go to the river to spawn. These are Beluga, Sevryuga, herring and fish. The second are semi-passers, which also go to the river to spawn, but can stay in it for a longer period of time. These include: perch, roach, bream, sabrefish. The next – sea. They reproduce and live accordingly. This is the so – iny mullet, turbot, sprat, stickleback, sculpins and so on. And the latter are fish species that enter the Azov sea from the Black sea. Among them are anchovy, mackerel, goatfish, horse mackerel, and others. The unique mammal of Azov is the Azov Dolphin or porpoise. The main mass of fish species is of commercial interest [2]. My grandfather told me that the sea of Azov was once fresh, and there were even sturgeon in it. Although the sea of Azov still exceeds the Caspian sea by 6.5 times, the Black sea by 40 times, and the Mediterranean sea by 160 times in terms of the number of fish per unit area, today it has almost lost its main purpose – fishing [2]. With the development of industry on the coast, the sea ceased to be fresh, the ecological balance was disrupted, which led to irreversible consequences and the death of many species of fish that live in it. Factors that violate the ecology of the sea of Azov The first and most significant factor that contributes to the pollution of the sea of Azov is the rivers that flow into the reservoir, which receive industrial waste and household water. In recent years, the concentration of rodanides in the reservoir exceeds the standards by 12 times, and the content of phenols has increased by 7 times [1]. Metallurgical plants discharge more than 800 million m3 of untreated waste water every year, which is about 99% of the total volume of discharges into the reservoir. In such effluents, the maximum permissible concentration for iron is 4 times higher, for nitrogen-more than 2.74 times, for copper and petroleum products-2.25 times, and for zinc – 1.75 times [1]. As for household waste, in the coastal areas, the systems for collecting, cleaning and supplying treated water are in extremely poor condition, because some of them were built more than a hundred years ago. In some residential areas, there are no sewage systems that are accompanied by sewage treatment, so polluted water enters the sea through rivers. The second, but no less significant factor that affects the pollution of the reservoir, are oil products and oil itself. Continuous construction along the coast that does not comply with environmental and sanitary standards leads to the destruction of the natural state of beaches and forest-Park areas of the coast and the reduction of their health-improving abilities. The amount of toxic and dangerous substances contained in the sea of Azov directly depends on the permanent disposal of waste in the water column and the elimination of marine platforms, vessels, aircraft structures and artificial marine objects. Thus, the most important technogenic factors that have a significant impact on the ecosystem of the sea of Azov are: - Metallurgical and chemical waste from industrial activities and municipal polluted waste water. - Oil and petroleum products. - Bottom trawling, which destroys bottom biocenoses. - Fishing by poachers. - Construction of reservoirs. - Saturated chemistry, soil and water contamination, salinity of the reservoir. - Increasing the uncontrolled discharge of pesticides into the sea of Azov, which leads to water blooming. - Intensive construction along the coast that does not meet environmental standards. - Dumping. Ways and methods of solving the problems of the sea of Azov These measures should include: 1. Priority change in the development of the sea coast: reducing industrial plants and concerns to a minimum, strengthening control over the activities of shipping transport and ports, reducing dangerous cargo traffic on ships on the sea of Azov, building innovative treatment facilities. 2. A significant reduction in water consumption and an increase in the level of river runoff. 4. Significant increase in territories and water areas that require additional protection in order to preserve the gene pool and EcoFund. 5. Continuous monitoring of the quality of the sea coast and water. 6. Stricter measures to protect the coastal area. But the most important and most important way to solve the environmental problem of the sea of Azov is to stop the release of polluted municipal and domestic water into the open sea and rivers, as well as effluents from enterprises and factories; supply industrial effluents with specialized water exchange cycles and maximize their purification before discharge into the reservoir [1]. Sources:
|
