PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, October 4. /TASS/: Russia’s Far Eastern region of Kamchatka, where a major sea pollution incident took place earlier this week, requires an integrated system of environmental monitoring, Governor Vladimir Solodov said on Sunday.
"Today’s situation exposed a systemic flaw. We learn about environmental issues from reports of concerned citizens, surfers, bloggers. We are thankful to those sending the signals, we process every single one of them very carefully. But the situation when the country has no system of real-time [environmental] monitoring is far from being normal," Solodov said during an inspection of the region’s affected areas in Avacha Bay.
"We have capacities of remote sensing of the Earth, of making satellite footage and conducting aerial survey, but they have not yet been integtrated. In the wake of the present-day situation, I will make a proposal to create a system of this kind for Kamchatka," he went on.
The governor added that although the environmental situation had apparently improved, experts should draw their conclusions and identify the initial source of the pollution.
In an Instagram video address later in the day, the governor once again thanked those who helped to draw public attention to the problem and pledged to sack officials who embellish or hush up information about the pollution in Avacha Bay.
"If it turns out in the course of our work that any of Kamchatka officials embellished facts or hushed them up, they will be sacked immediately. I will request similar measures regarding [officials from] federal agencies," he said.
Vice-Speaker of the Russian State Duma (lower house) Irina Yarovaya said earlier on Sunday that leading Russian scientific centers will join the effort to assess the damage. They will receive samples of water, sand, algae and sea creatures from Kamchatka’s seabed.
Earlier, Russian hydrometeorology service specialists detected excessive amounts of phenol and oil products in sea waters near the Khalaktyrsky Beach, where, according to local residents, hordes of sea creatures had been washed ashore.
Some time later, increased levels of petroleum products were registered at three more locations in the Avacha Gulf. Mass death of sea animals was also reported in Malaya Lagernaya Bay, Bolshaya Lagernaya Bay and Babya Bay.
Russian Minister of Environmental Protection Dmitry Kobylkin said environmental situation in the area is being analyzed. Experts took samples of water, sand and air from the affected zones.
