RUSSIA: MOSCOW'S DRINKING WATER SUPPLY THREATENED AFTER FUEL OIL FROM A DERAILED TRAIN SPILLS INTO THE VOLGA RIVER BASIN
Record ID:
344910
RUSSIA: MOSCOW'S DRINKING WATER SUPPLY THREATENED AFTER FUEL OIL FROM A DERAILED TRAIN SPILLS INTO THE VOLGA RIVER BASIN
- Title: RUSSIA: MOSCOW'S DRINKING WATER SUPPLY THREATENED AFTER FUEL OIL FROM A DERAILED TRAIN SPILLS INTO THE VOLGA RIVER BASIN
- Date: 21st June 2005
- Summary: (BN13) VILLAGE OF ZUYEVO, RUSSIA (JUNE 21, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS SCENE OF ACCIDENT; CRANE LIFTING OIL TANK (4 SHOTS) 0.22 2. RESCUER BY OIL PUDDLE 0.28 3. WS: OIL TANK BEING LIFTED BY CRANE 0.33 4. VARIOUS RAILWAY WHEELS 0.37 5. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) YEVGENI LUKOVNIKOV, RUSSIAN RAILWAYS, SAYING: "All fuel oil will be taken away as well as the soil which absorbed it. Everything will be taken away and eliminated. The site will be totally restored, new grass will be planted and fresh railtrack gravel will be brought in." 0.58 6. CU: OIL PUDDLE 1.01 (BN13) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JUNE 23, 2005) (REUTERS) 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OLEG MITVOL, DEPUTY HEAD OF RUSSIA'S ENVIRONMENTAL OVERSIGHT AGENCY SAYING: "In all similar situations the first few hours after the accident an area is treated with proper solvents and special oil pump are used. As you know on Friday morning only one pump was brought in which broke down in ten minutes. Eight more pumps were shipped from the city of Arkhangelsk but I'm unsure if they ever arrived". 1.23 (BN13) VILLAGE OF ZUYEVO, RUSSIA (JUNE 21, 2005) (REUTERS) 8. CU: OIL SPILL ON WATER 1.29 (BN13) MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JUNE 23, 2005) (REUTERS) 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) OLEG MITVOL, DEPUTY HEAD OF RUSSIA'S ENVIRONMENTAL OVERSIGHT AGENCY SAYING: "As I said on Friday I felt that around a thousand tons have spilled out. I still believe I was right as we still don't have precise data on how much of the M-100 fuel oil has spilled out." 1.38 (BN13) VILLAGE OF ZUYEVO, RUSSIA (JUNE 21, 2005) (REUTERS) 10. VARIOUS OIL SPILL ON RIVER BANK (2 SHOTS) 1.48 11. BARRELS WITH OIL 1.52 12. STREAM OF OIL RUNNING THROUGH GRASS 1.58 13. RESCUERS COLLECTING SOIL WITH OIL (2.08 2.08 14. CU: BARREL WITH OIL 2.13 15. CU/SV: RESCUER COLLECTING SOIL FROM RIVER BANK (2 SHOTS) 2.24 16. SCU: FOAM ON WATER 2.28 17. WS/CU: DEAD FISH (2 SHOTS) 2.38 18. CU: OIL ON GRASS 2.42 19. CU'S: MORE OF DEAD FISH (2 VSHOTS) 2.51 20. OIL SPILL ON WATER (2 SHOTS) 3.00 21. WOMAN WITH COWS 3.05 22. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) VERA MASYKINA, LOCAL DIARY FARMER, SAYING: "The fish are dying. The environment was very clean here. Now it's dirty." 3.13 23. COW EATING GRASS 3.17 24. CU: TRACES OF OIL ON COW 3.22 25. COW STARING AT RIVER 3.26 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 6th July 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VILLAGE OF ZUYEVO, TVER REGION AND MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Reuters ID: LVADNJM86HRK8ZAAVINCXTONHKKH
- Story Text: Oil spill in the Volga river basin threatens
Moscow's drinking water supply.
A stream of black flowed from ponds of fuel oil
towards the river system which ultimately ends up in the
reservoirs that supply Moscow with drinking water.
A train carrying fuel oil to Estonia derailed last Wednesday
(June 15) near near Zuyevo, a small village about
150 kilometres north of Moscow. Of the 60 oil tanks being
carried, 26 fell from the tracks and some burst, pouring
out tons of oil.
The oil flowed into a local river and then into the
Volga, which leads to the Ivankovsky reservoir, part of the
Moscow water system. Downstream near the Volga, many fish
are dead but officials say there is no immediate risk to
Moscow's drinking water thanks more to good fortune than
prompt action.
Russian Railways, who have been blamed for the
accident, said the area will be cleaned up and made as
good as new.
"All fuel oil will be taken away as well as the soil
which absorbed it. Everything will be taken away and
eliminated. The site will be totally restored, new grass
will be planted and fresh gravel will be brought in," said
Yevgeny Lukovnikov from the Russian Railways.
But a top official from Russia's Environmental
Oversight Agency claimed the clean-up operation was badly
organized, poorly staffed and under equipped.
"In all similar situations the first few hours after the
accident an area is treated with proper solvents and
special oil pump are used. As you know on Friday (June 17)
morning only one pump was brought in which broke down in
ten minutes", said Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of Russia's
Environmental Oversight Agency at a news conference in
Moscow on Thursday (June 23).
The accident is almost a case-study of how not to
handle an accident: initial silence, poor information,
clashing responsibilities and officials giving wildly
conflicting appraisals of the situation, according to
ecologists and environment officials.
For example, initial estimates of the amount of oil
spilled supplied by Russian Railways were less than half
the latest figures provided by the Emergency Ministry and
less than one third the estimates of the Environmental
Oversight Agency.
"As I said on Friday I felt that around a thousand tons
have spilled out. I still believe I was right as we still
don't have precise data on how much of the M-100 fuel oil
has spilled out," said Mitvol.
Local officials and prosecutors have slammed Russian
Railways for the accident, which they say has caused
"millions of rubles" of damage.
The oil flowed into the river and down towards the
Volga, killing fish, birds and micro-organisms along the
way. Dead fish were rotting on the banks of the Volga, one
of the country's greatest river.
Oleg Mitvol claimed more serious consequences of the
accident were yet to come. He said because the weather was
cold much of oil that flowed into the river dropped to the
bottom but that meant it could rise again.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None