The Town of the XXI Century
Series of reports on ecological situation in Central Asia

ECOLOGY OF THE CASPIAN SEA REGION - THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE "BIG" OIL

Biological desertification

All these and many other problems make the life of the sea more difficult and impose a threat of "biological desertification" of Caspian Sea. Despite the fact that some experts consider that the situation with pollution in Caspian Sea region has been stabilized, this is not a cause for euphoria, more surely it is a sign of declining industrial production in Russia and Kazakhstan.

If we consider the figures, it is possible to see that the level of pollution of Caspian Sea with oil products in 1991-1995 was at the level of 0,07-0,21 mg/liter (1-4 Maximum Limits of Concentration). Sometimes in some of the areas it increased to 25 MLC. In 1995 it was at the level of 1,0-1,8 MLC.

In 1995 oil pollution of the soil in the sea areas adjacent to the oil production sites on the eastern shore of Northern Caspian sea was at the level of 0,01-0,02 g/kg. Increase in the levels of pollution is more common for the areas, which are closer to the shore. Within last 3 years the volume of oil pollution of these soils increased threefold and became 4 times higher than the level of the background pollution.

Phenol concentration in the water of North-eastern areas of Caspian Sea was 0,003-0,009 mg/l (3-9 MLC), synthetic surface-active substances - 0,008-0,029 mg/l (1-3 MLC). Chlorine-organic pesticides are almost constantly present in the water. The most heavily polluted areas are the seashores of Ural river and the zone of direct influence of Volga river.

Herds of sturgeon are at the brink of extinction

How does ichteofauna react on constant pollution of Caspian Sea?

In accordance with the information of the fishing industry institutes, the fish caught has serious deviations in functioning of the most important systems and organs responsible for immune resistance, reproduction function. It is determined that sturgeon has exfolitation of the muscle tissues, weakening of caviar membranes, fat kidney dystrophy. The threat of sturgeon herds destruction appears and this may lead to extinction of sturgeon as a biological type.

Since 1976 it was detected that fish has a disease classified as dermatophibrosarcome, which is caused by a cancerous formation. Currently pike perches, breams, and other kinds of fish with cancerous formations mainly in the head areas and fins and with ulcers on the abdominal side of the body are found in the catches and at the fish-processing plant. In 1992 more than 10% of pike perch catch was affected by this disease. It is necessary to keep in mind that we account only for the fish with the easily identified signs of the disease and of industrial catch size. It is difficult to say how many representatives of the total population are affected by the disease becuase there is no specialized ichteopatologic service and veterinary inspections are conducted irregularly and cover only the industrial fishing period. Anti-epizootic measures and measures for prevention of the disease are not taken in the region.

The sour tradition of massive water birds' deaths

The disadvantaged environment also affected water birds. Since 1981 at the seashore to the east of Ural river mouth massive deaths of water birds are detected annually. Their corpses were found 300-350 kilometers to the east of lower Ural river. In may of 1988 wind blowing from the west threw 250-300 thousands birds on the seashore, accounting for the ones thrown on the sides and into the reed overgrowth the figure reached about 1 million. It was determined that among the ones thrown on the shore there were 27 kinds of birds with the largest numbers of ducks, sandpipers and sea-gulls. The deaths were caused by toxic poisoning. In the tissues of the fallen birds the concentration of chlorine organic substances exceeded maximum acceptable levels by 7-1200 times. Moreover, the massive death could have been instigated by anaerobic bacteria and botulism, which easily develop in the oil polluted environment with oil gathering in slit sediments.

Following the feeding chain the toxic substances spread to other representatives of flora and fauna. For example, chlorine organic pesticides and salts of heavy metals were found in the organisms of rodents, steppe cats, wolves. Wolves as representatives of the biological type placed at the top of the feeding chain had concentration of polychlorine biphenyl of 32037 microroengen/kg of the internal fat weight, while the normal level is 2 microroengen/kg.

Dioxides launch a new attack on our nature

Dioxides are especially dangerous when they enter the environment together with metallurgical wastes, while chlorine is added to drinking water, while sewage is cleaned using biological methods, when herbicides and defoliants are used. Dioxides act in the same way as AIDS virus destroying the immune system of various organisms and causing genetic faults and deviations of embryos. High concentration of chlorine organic pesticides in the surrounding environment and continued addition of chlorine into the drinking water (especially high dozes of chlorine in water pipes during the periods of high-floods) raise the issue of strict control over the concentration of dioxides in raw materials, food and industrial products. By this time developed countries of the West gradually re-equipped dangerous dioxide-using production lines and were able to dramatically decrease the injection of dioxides into the environment, however it has not been possible to to neutralize the consequences of their influence on the immune system.

In our country ecotoxicological research of this problem has not been done, there is no legal or financial base to control the concentration of dioxides. At the same time it is necessary to take into consideration that the close-to-crisis conditions of the ecological system of Caspian Sea require everything to fit the international standards.

Earthquakes are possible

And one more alarming detail. Extraction of liquid and gas-like raw materials of the Caspian oil-and-gas province, of the Mangyshlak-Usturt oil-and-gas province and Sarysu gas province is accompanied by deep penetration of the ground (up to 7-8 km). In connection with that regional changes of geological environment are taking place and add new difficult properties to it. And these properties have not been thoroughly studied yet. This means that many variations of "behavior" of Caspian Sea exist in these circumstances. One of the possibilities researched by corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences, Mr. Diarov, is alarmingly straightforward - drilling of Caspian Sea bottom "threatens to cause movements of the Earth's core and leads to possible earthquakes" ("Kazakhstanskaya pravda", 1997, November 12). Does it pay off, if it has been determined that after extraction 60-70% of oil are left in the ground? But this is a rethoric question.

IN ORDER NOT TO BE ABSOLUTELY NEGATIVE, WE'LL LEAVE OUT THE PROGNOSIS REGARDING POSSIBLE FOUNATIN THROWS OF OIL, WHILE THE WELLS ARE DRILLED IN THE OPEN SEA. EACH OF THEM REMAINING UNPREVENTED IS A CATASTROPHE.

Even if all of these reefs and underwater currents will be conquered by the oil industry and consequently by us - still a lot will be waiting for everybody on the shore. Because after the oil is extracted, it needs to be "moved" to the customers. It is well know that the most effective mean of transportation is a pipeline. The "tubes" will arrive at Caspian Sea in time for the "big" oil. And the problems will come with them.

On the last days of 1997 a scientific-practical Conference entitled "The main problems of exploitation of mainstream pipelines in Kazakhstan" was held in Atyrau. At that Conference, the same as at the meeting with the same title held in April of 1998 in Almaty it was repeated almost in a exorcism-like manner that "Economy had to be ecological" and this means that pipelines must be ecological, and also fuel - the power production complex, oil and gas extraction industry, but …

Fuel and power production complex is responsible for 48% of air pollution, 36% of sewage pollution and 30% of solid wastes.

But the raw oil is lost in the system of collection and separation at the extraction sites and while it is transported in the pipelines because their construction is not perfect, because the "floating" roofs with additional covers are missing, because the tanks are not heat-proof.

In Kazakhstan of all variety of geochemical pollution, accompanying exploitation of the oil fields, the largest danger is represented by oil hydrocarbon throws into the atmosphere and by oil spilled on the ground. When the accompanying oil gas is not fully utilized at the extraction sites, especially at the remote wells, the throws of hydrocarbon increase. Throws of nitrogen oxide and carbon oxide dramatically increase during accidents, the number of which has grown 1,2 times within last several years (on the average at the zone of oil fields and pipelines there is 0,02 ton of spilled oil per sq. kilometer a year).

Development of the oil and gas complex is characterized by negative geoecological consequences at the times of accidents and in the process of normal functioning. The zone of complete destruction of plants alongside pipelines and at the wells' clusters is about 15% of the total production zone. The zone of partial destruction of plants as a result of one-time movement of vehicles at the roads or at surrounding industrial grounds is about 80% of the total production zone.

Destruction of the soil takes place not only at the zone of direct influence, but also at the surrounding zone of indirect influence.

At the pipelines the width of the destruction zone varies from 40 to 400 meters for each of the pipelines. At the same time the zone of indirect influence exceeds the zone of direct influence by 2-10 times. If the existing trends continue to develop, it is possible to expect that total mammalia will decrease by 20% and mainly because of the distraction factor. Destruction of the main habitats will lead to changes in the structure of zoocenosis with hurting predominantly valuable types. If the same level of accidents remains while oil and gas are extracted and transported, it is possible to expect a 25% decrease in the number of animals in comparison with the number, which existed before the beginning of industrial development. Multi-year style of the changes is not ruled out.