Sanitary and epidemiological situation in the Lower Volga Region: problems and solutions

Summary

Almost along the entire length from Tver to Astrakhan, the Volga River has been a depleted water reservoir in terms of its qualitative composition. In the Lower Volga basin the resource of ecologically clean water is less than 3% of the total surface water resources of the Astrakhan Region. In this regard, drinking water quality problems in the Astrakhan Region have been caused by natural water pollution, poor water treatment at the waterworks, secondary pollution in the distribution networks. The ecological state of the Lower Volga has been analyzed, and its impact on the quality of drinking water supply has been estimated. The technologies of water purification used in the Astrakhan Region for water supply were designed and implemented in the 1960s–70s; they were not designed for the pollution load in terms of the quality and quantity significantly different from the current situation. An analysis of the operation of water intake and water treatment facilities was carried out that showed their extremely unsatisfactory technical condition and obsolescence. The ways of solving the problems of improving the quality of drinking water supply with account of the current critical ecological situation in the Lower Volga Region and world experience, are proposed.

Key words

pollutants , water use , domestic water supply , water abstraction facilities , water treatment facilities , natural water source , ecological situation