As we battle to protect Australian territory from pollution, it is a depressing notion to realise that very few countries in the world possess the same stringent environment regulations that we enjoy here. In most other countries, regulations are non-existent, corrupt officials are easily bought off by big industry, and the local environment suffers.
Yet another case of this occurred last week. The area around Norilsk, in Russia’s Far North, is heavily industrial, with industry focused primarily around the extraction of nickel. It also has an appalling record of environmental abuse. The extraction methods utilise a large amount of river water, which afterwards, must be disposed of properly. However, this isn’t always the case.
This became obvious on September 8th, in spectacular fashion, when the nearby river turned a blood red colour, along its course flowing north from the industrial site. Initial claims that the colour could be attributed to natural clays was strongly condemned by native groups living along the river, who raised a fuss loud enough to be heard in Moscow. An investigation has been ordered.
This spill has the potential to not only spread heavy metal tailings throughout this watershed, but to pass them on to those members of the public who rely on the river as a source of food. It brings long-term repercussions, as these metals aren’t easily extracted out of the environment. Clearly, this is a practice that is not suitable for an ecosystem.
The importance of spill containment devices, such as those offered by the all-Australian experts at EcoSpill, are built to ensure that any spills that do occur are cleaned up quickly. In Australia, such an accident as this would lead to a grievous fine, but regardless of where you reside, we all have a responsibility to keep our planet safe from industrial accidents.
Company : Ecospill
Contact : Melissa Goff
Address : 3/17 Bult Drive, Brendale, QLD 4500
Phone : 07 3881 0554
Email : sales@ecospill.com.au
Website : https://www.ecospill.com.au