Volgograd: residents of Srednaya Akhtuba picket against expanded clay factories

A picket demanding from the supervisory bodies to suspend the work expanded clay factories in the settlement of Srednaya Akhtuba until they are reorganized and create a sanitary protection zone in the settlement was held in Volgograd.

The picketers have demanded to protect the right of residents of the settlement to a favourable environment, as stipulated by Article 42 of the Russian Constitution.

The expanded clay production was launched in Srednaya Akhtuba back in 1975, Taisia Morozova, an organizer of the picket and the leader of the initiative group of protesters, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to her story, even at that time the project failed to ensure any sanitary protection zone around the factories.

The letter No. 774 E-4206 received on August 8, 2014, from the Department of "Rosprirodnadzor" (Russian Federal Agency for Nature Supervision) for the Volgograd Region states that the results of sampling had confirmed a high level of air pollution in the vicinity of the expanded clay factories.

However, no action after this letter were undertaken, said Morozova.

All the picketers told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the expanded clay smog "poisons the health of people", causing many respiratory diseases and allergies.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.