There is a danger of radiation in Russia – drinking water may be contaminated

Russia’s Urals region and neighboring northern Kazakhstan have experienced their worst flooding in 80 years due to heavy rainfall, exacerbated by heavy snowpack melting rapidly due to higher-than-normal temperatures this spring.

Portal “Newsweek” reports that in recent weeks, authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of residents from Kurgan and Orenburg after rising flood waters.

Flood in Orsk

(26 photos)

Flood in Orsk (photo by SCANPIX)

Large amounts of uranium

A Russian research website reported that the uranium mine in Dobrovolna, located in the village of Ukrainsko in Kurgan’s Zverinogolovsk district, was placed in a flood zone by local authorities. According to the NS Energy Business portal, the mine contains approximately 7,077 tons of uranium, with values ranging from 0.01 percent. up to 0.05 percent of uranium.

It is feared that the nearby Tobolo River may be contaminated with uranium.

Andrey Ozharovsky, an expert at the Radioactive Waste Safety Program of the Russian Social and Ecological Union, said that uranium leakage from the Dobrovolnoye mine will increase the concentration of uranium salts in the Tobol River, which could contaminate residents’ drinking water.

Activists call for no more uranium mining

Environmental activists in Kurgan have been calling on the authorities to ban uranium mining in the region for many years. They fear that the radioactive solution will contaminate the groundwater and the Tobolo River.

April 17 local authorities told the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that the water level of the Tobolo River exceeded the “dangerous level” limit – the river’s water level rose by 123 cm in 24 hours. By that time, more than 660 residential houses were flooded in Kurgan.

Source: tv3.lt

The article is in Lithuanian

Tags: danger radiation Russia drinking water contaminated

Large amounts of uranium

Activists call for no more uranium mining

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