Water safety in Russia: key initiatives discussed at the National Centre RUSSIA

An extended meeting of the Board of the Federal Agency for Water Resources was held at the National Centre RUSSIA. Industry experts outlined development vectors for the organisation and Russia’s water management sector.

One of the main issues discussed by the participants was the implementation of the new federal project "Water of Russia." Its goal is to improve living conditions near water bodies for 23.2 million people by the end of 2030. Environmental measures within the project include the construction and reconstruction of treatment facilities, clearing of riverbeds and strengthening of banks, and improving the condition of lakes and reservoirs.

The Head of the Federal Agency for Water Resources Dmitry Kirillov stated that this year, under the "Water of Russia" project, 81 measures are being implemented to preserve water resources in 43 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

"We need to create comprehensive conditions for improving the quality of life of our citizens, and this cannot depend solely on a cleaned-up water body. If that is done but landscaping is not carried out, people will not be able to fully appreciate the effect. I believe that we need to synchronise our actions with other national projects. This has become the main criterion for selecting our activities this year. For example, according to these criteria, we are starting work on clearing a complex of ponds in the Tsarskoye Selo museum reserve and launching work in a historical and spiritual centre — the Trinity Lavra of St Sergius in Sergiyev Posad," noted Dmitry Kirillov.

He also addressed the issue of protecting the population from floods, calling it one of the most important challenges facing the Federal Agency for Water Resources.

"Every year we implement a whole range of anti-flood measures — these include preparing reservoirs for floodwater passage, carrying out work to weaken ice strength, dredging, clearing, as well as constructing and repairing hydraulic structures. Work is currently underway on 21 facilities in ten regions of the country, five of which we must complete this year," explained Dmitry Kirillov.

In addition, according to him, in 61 regions a set of measures will be implemented to clear riverbeds. In total, the implementation of these measures by the end of the year should make it possible to protect up to 30,000 citizens from floods.

The meeting also addressed the issues of rehabilitating rivers and lakes, applying water-saving technologies and attracting investment into the sector.