Return to the Feature: God, Man And Water

THE SORRY STATE OF LAKE BAIKAL

Due to Industrial Pollution

Lake Baikal which lies in southern Siberia, is one of the oldest and deepest fresh water lakes in the world. Investigations show it to be at least 30 million years old. It is far from the ocean and fed by hundreds of rivers; but of these, only one, namely River Selenga brings in a large amount of water. The main outlet is River Angara. In size, Baikal is pretty big, being about 800 km long and about 160 km wide. It holds about 23,000 cubic kilometres of water. The Russians have always venerated the lake as a source of beauty and power.

For thousands of years this beautiful lake remained pure and in its pristine condition. Trouble started in a big way in the mid-fifties of the 20th century, when the erstwhile Soviet Government set up a huge paper mill on the shores of this lake. The main task of the mill was to produce a kind of super cellulose that was to be used in making tyres for Soviet military jets. The plant polluted the lake heavily but in those cold war days, no one really cared. Additional pollution came from the Selenga River.

After the end of the Soviet regime, the new Russian Government woke up and realised with alarm that Lake Baikal is a self-contained aquatic system with its own isolated ecosystem that was unique in many ways. With determination, it started taking many steps to reverse the earlier trend, thanks to which the lake has shown some small signs of healing. Meanwhile, UNESCO is considering declaring Lake Baikal a nature treasure of the world. If that happens, then the lake would come under international protection.

Return to the Feature: God, Man And Water