BASIC FACTORS OF KHABAROVSKIJ KRAY SOUTHERN SEASHORE POLLUTION

by Alexey N. Makhinov

Deputy Director of Institute of Water and Ecology Problems,
Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences
65 Kim Yu Chen Street Khabarovsk 680000, Russian Federation
mahinova@ivep.as.khb.ru

INTRODUCTION

A coastal line along the Okhotsk and Japan Seas within Khabarovsky Krai exceeds 3 500 km. Still economic activities are little developed there, especially in its northern part (the Okhotsk Sea). The Tatar Strait shores are characterized with more active industrial activities. There are several ports there, like Vanino port, the biggest in Russia and several others of regional importance (De-Kastri, Lazarev, Sovetskaya Gavan). In river basins of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range timber harvesting is quite intensive and has a significant impact on hydrological regime of rivers, running into the Okhotsk and Japan Seas.

Substantial pollution comes from the sewage discharge into rivers and seas. Most sewage waters are not fully treated. For examples, according to the Far East Natural Resource Department in Vaninsky and Sovetskaya Gavan Districts in 2001 49 million cu m of sewage waters were discharged, including 6.09 million cu m of non-treated and 4.4 million cu m half-treated waters.

The Tatar Strait is a very specific area of the Japan Sea. It is the longest strain in the Northern Hemisphere and has rather complicated peculiarities of river run-off chemical composition, including that of the Amur River.

Two factors influence water pollution in this area. The first is the Amur River run-off. It is well known that in winter 40% of the Amur run-off (Yakunin, 1975) is discharged into the Japan Sea. In summer it is reduced to 30%. Recently registered intensive pollution of the Amur River in winter impact vulnerable coastal ecosystems. The second factor is the increasing anthropogenic pressure, caused by the De-Kastry port development. Planned construction of the oil pipeline “Lasarev – De-Kastry” and oil terminal in the port, as well as the expansion of timber export from Sisiman Bay will create addition sources of pollution in the Tatar Strait.

Timber harvesting in the basins of the rivers Tumnin, Chistovodnaya, Tutto and others, numerous forest fires, placer gold mining increased the discharge into seawaters of terrigenous and dissolved materials like sulfur, phosphorus and nitrogen compounds. Besides, several big towns of Khabarovsky krai are situated on the Japan Sea coast. Household sewage and industrial wastewater, not being fully treated, are discharged into the sea. In spite of a rather well developed environmental service of the Vanino port, still the pollution of the port area with phosphorus and nitrogen oil products is revealed.

Pollution of coastal waters with different litter and industrial wastes is not evenly spread in Khabarovsky krai. Most intensive it is in the vicinity of cities and towns, sea ports like Lazarev, De-Kastry, Vanino and Sovetskaya Gavan. Wood materials, metal items, plastics and glass are most common.

World experience proves the necessity of study and inspection of coastal waters conditions as well as their ecological monitoring.

The problem of extensive study of sea shores remains urgent as contaminated fish and dead birds are found there due to oil spills and other anthropogenic disasters. Only a well planned and scientifically proved complex of measures, including different methods of wastewater treatment, can help to reduce the level of coastal pollution.

Marine litter studies in the Far Eastern region have been undertaken by NGOs, within the international project in Vanino, for example. The studies revealed that the issues of coastal line pollution with litter become urgent for Russia and need further attentive studies and measures to clean the shores and reduce the amount of anthropogenic matter flow into the sea.

There are certain coastal zone litter pollution specifics in the territory. Pollution of the sea shores close to the Amur mouth is mainly caused by the river, which discharges litter in great amounts. A significant portion of it originates from China. Observation of the Amur River near Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur indicated that 80% of plastic litter is of Chinese origin. Amur floods cause a “volley” discharge of litter into the sea, which further pollutes the seashores.

Assessment of the Amur River litter discharge into the sea seems quite important and urgent, as well as it is important to other major rivers of the NOW PAP zone.

In Khabarovsky Krai public awareness of the seashores pollution with household and industrial wastes and ecological education of population become very important. Local authorities in coastal communities should play the key role in the litter prevention activities and together with scientific and public organizations should develop and adopt legislative acts to reduce pollution of the coastal and marine areas. Law enforcement should be also made effective. In Khabarovsky Krai issues of collecting and recycling wastes that accumulated in recent years around the settlements need to be also effectively addressed.