On the night of April 20, the port of Tuapse was attacked by Ukrainian drones, causing its oil terminal to catch fire. Due to a strong fire in the city, the air quality deteriorated significantly, and later there were “oil” rains – precipitation mixed with products of oil combustion. A reporter from the Bereg cooperative of independent journalists went to the Krasnodar region to see what the environmental disaster in Tuapse looks like. Medusa publishes this material completely.
For the first time, the oil terminal in the port of Tuapse caught fire on the night of April 16, as it was attacked by Ukrainian drones. The fire was extinguished only on the fourth day.
After the first wave of collisions, an oil leak occurred Tuapse River And to the Black Sea near the port. To prevent the spread of pollution, the city authorities installed special arms and devices to collect petroleum products.
A new attack on the night of April 20 also caused a fire. It has been cooked for about five days. April 24 amid heavy rain ‘There was a surplus’ Oil products through the barriers, ended up in the water area and on the seashore.
Smoke from these fires contains toxic gases, chemical fumes, small oil droplets, and suspended soot particles that are dangerous if inhaled. to caution Greenpeace.
Regional headquarters malethat as of the evening of April 21, Rospotrebnadzor discovered that the permissible concentrations of benzene, xylene and soot in the air were exceeded “two to three times” – in the Grosneft, Surtirovka and Zvezhniy microdistricts, as well as in part of the Central District. Residents were advised not to open windows.
After that, the publication of official data on air quality stopped, although the governor of the Krasnodar Territory, Veniamin Kondratiev, reported in his Telegram channel that “Rospotrebnadzor regularly takes air samples for the content of harmful substances.”
Tuapse residents and tourists in local groups complain that the authorities do not provide accurate information about what is happening and tell each other about the situation in the settlements surrounding Tuapse.
They continue to post pictures of black puddles with impurities from the products of oil combustion, and pictures of pets stained with soot.
Volunteers came to help homeless animals: they washed stray dogs, cats and birds. “Almost all the animals on the street are covered in fuel oil… This is a disaster.” I mentioned In the volunteer movement “Chance for Life” that helps homeless animals. Volunteers of the organization “Be Nearby. Helping Homeless Animals” announce in advance the places where street cats and dogs will be washed in local groups. They offer Tuapse residents to bring animals that need help.
City services are removing oil pollution from beaches around the clock, according to Krasnodar Operations Headquarters. According to the authorities, by April 26, more than 2.5 thousand cubic meters of contaminated soil had already been removed, and 132 people and 26 pieces of equipment participated in eliminating the disaster.
City residents help city services clean the beaches. An employee of Rosneft (they participate in cleaning the central beach in Tuapse) He said Journalists from the publication NeMoskva said that there are not enough people and equipment on the beach:
Here you need to lift the deep layers of gravel, everything seeps in. It takes a long time to do it manually, and in addition, the sea constantly throws new fuel oil ashore. You need to do this using an excavator.
Previously, it was ecologists who monitored the situation in the city He said “Important stories” Tuapse administration filled the city beach with fresh pebbles when cleaning fuel oil. Thus, the authorities did not remove some traces of fuel oil, but rather concealed them.
“Nemoskva” edition NotesThis oil is removed only on Central Beach. In other sections of the beach, where oil has also appeared, cleaning is not being done. The bulletin’s correspondent says from the spot: “The beach stones are also covered with black mud; they are full of clumps of oil-contaminated algae and tree trunks thrown on the beach.”
The Berig correspondent reported that there was a strong smell of oil in the city and difficulty breathing.