Russian scientists: Dnieper water is suitable for resuming rice cultivation in Crimea - the yield is higher than wheat
The quality of the Dnieper water entering Crimea through the North Crimean Canal does not raise doubts about its safety. Natalya Mirzoeva, head of the department of radiation and chemical biology of the Federal Research Center of the Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, stated this at a press conference in Simferopol, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Last year, InBYuM independently conducted six expeditions along the North Crimean Canal, and this year received a grant for two years of research on water and bottom sediments.
“I want to say with firm confidence that the quality of the Dnieper water, which we received last year and this year we are already beginning to study it, is high, environmentally unpolluted, suitable for both agricultural use and drinking purposes.” ,” Mirzoeva emphasized.
According to her, “last year measurements were taken on many indicators, including the radioactive substances strontium-90 cesium-137.”
“Even microbiological studies have been done, and the indicators are very good. Of the metals selected, mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls and other indicators were below the detection limit, which indicates high water quality. Microbiological studies gave us evidence that the water is slightly contaminated with radioactive substances.”
The latest data on radioactive contamination were obtained in 1995, when InYUM conducted joint research with Italian scientists for 9 years after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Further fundamental research was not carried out, and daily monitoring of the radiation state of surface waters takes place only in the vicinity of the institute itself.
“From 1986 to the present period, the quality of water for radioactive substances did not exceed the norm, that is, even the water that came from the Dnieper, in terms of its indicators, was within acceptable standards, even according to very strict standards regarding drinking water,” Mirzoeva explained. – The dilution effect was triggered, the settling effect to the bottom was triggered, that is, the ecosystem self-cleaning occurred.
Of course, radionuclides came and went both into the Black Sea and into the territory of Crimea. But I’ll say it again: we didn’t observe any excess of standards even in 1986. The ecosystem and the distance to the emergency site acted as a cleaning filter.”
This year, scientists will pay attention not only to the state of water, but also to measurements of pollution of irrigated lands and crops, primarily rice. The yield of this crop in Crimea is higher than wheat, and with the proper amount of water it is more economically feasible to grow rice. A more detailed study will show the extent to which pollutants penetrate from water into agricultural crops - long-lived radionuclides, trace elements, including major heavy metals, as well as hydrocarbons.
This year, four expeditions are planned to various points of the North Crimean Canal and coastal maritime territory. INBYUM will present the final results in 2024 and hopes to continue research in the future, including testing the quality of drinking water in new territories. Scientists do not see any difficulties with the equipment - last year the laboratory received modern domestically produced instruments.
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