Residents of the city of Semikarakorsk in the Rostov region organized vigils near the local landfill to prevent the import of sand contaminated with fuel oil, which was brought into the city after the accident in the Kerch Strait. Last Saturday, contaminated sand began to be transported to the landfill, which raised concerns among locals about possible harm to the environment and health. Citizens fear that the authorities will not take the necessary steps to dispose of fuel oil, but will leave it as toxic waste near residential areas.
According to residents, the sand was brought to the landfill before the visit of the acting governor of the Rostov region, Yuri Slyusar. According to their stories, the sand was allegedly partially dumped into the pit, covered with garbage on top, and the workers were instructed not to disclose information. People are confident that the problem of soil pollution will not be solved, and fuel oil residues will end up in groundwater, which will then end up in wells used for drinking water.
Governor Yuri Slyusar himself on Sunday, January 26, said that local authorities were not informed about possible plans to transport contaminated sand to the landfill. He assured that the landfill was closed to trucks carrying sand.
Environmentalists offer more effective solutions for the disposal of soil contaminated with fuel oil. They recommend transporting contaminated materials not to landfills, but to bitumen plants, where fuel oil can be divided into fractions, and the remaining mass can be used to produce bitumen. Scientists also propose the use of surfactants to collect petroleum products and emphasize the importance of analyzing the experience of the Prestige tanker accident, which occurred in the Bay of Biscay in 2002, to develop methods for water purification.
As part of further recommendations, environmentalists call for the creation of a modern terminal for the safe transshipment of petroleum products in the Sea of Azov, as well as the exclusion of dangerous tankers from the reloading process in regions with a high environmental threat. Previously, experts reported that the tankers that crashed should not have sailed into the Black Sea in stormy conditions, given their worn-out structures.
It is also proposed to create a unified rehabilitation service for birds affected by oil spills, the decision on the release of which after treatment should be made individually by a commission with the participation of volunteers and veterinarians.
The accident, which occurred on December 15, 2024 in the Kerch Strait, affected two tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, resulting in about 40% of 9 thousand tons of fuel oil ending up in the sea. This led to pollution of the Black Sea coast. Rescuers managed to pump out fuel oil from one of the tankers that ran aground, but work on extracting oil products from the sunken tankers has not yet begun. The rescue operation continues with the participation of volunteers.
The situation in the Semikarakorsk region related to the transportation of contaminated sand remains under the attention of local residents, environmentalists and authorities, and requires urgent measures to prevent further environmental disasters.
Source: kedr.media *The Ministry of Justice recognized him as a foreign agent
Photo: Government of the Rostov region. Meeting of Semirakorsk residents with the governor.
