Ilsur Metshin: "God grant us to come here in 10 years with children and walk along alleys"

(KZN.RU, April 3, Alsu Safina). In Kazan, at Samosyrovskaya dump site in late April, the technical stage of reclamation has been completed, after which the hill will be sown with grass, and in the autumn decorative bushes will be planted there. Changing of the Kazan’s "garbage Everest" in less than a year, republican and federal journalists saw today during the press tour. Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin expressed his hope that in 10 years the citizens will have only memories that there used to be a garbage dump.

The results of the carried out here works are noticeable already at the entrance to the Samosyrovskaya dump - the hill became significantly lower, and the garbage itself is nowhere to be seen. Journalists along with the Mayor climbed to the very top of this hill - in the past Samosyrovskaya dump. The Mayor of Kazan asked journalists if there were any among them who had been here in June. "The difference is big,"-confirmed the regular participants of the press tours.

The deputy head of the Executive Committee - the chairman of the Housing and Utilities Committee (HUC) Iskander Giniyatullin told the head of the city and representatives of the media about the imminent completion of the first, technical stage of reclamation of Samosyrovskaya dump. "Cut the height by 15 meters - about a third, made gentle slopes, increased a little" sole ", on the prepared place moved the top of the soil, covered with waterproofing membrane and covered with soil with a thickness of about 1 m", - explained the recultivation technology I. Giniyatullin.

When climbing upward, numerous pipes, which are piersing the entire condtruction, are noticeable on the slopes of the hill. Chairman of the HUC explained, thst they are designed to drain the gas generated in the body of the landfill as a result of the decomposition of organic waste and interaction with oxygen and water. After sheltering the hill with a sealed film and soil, the access of water and oxygen inside stopped, and the gas ceased to form. Along with the gas in the hill, liquid is accumulated - the filtrate is diverted through a special drainage system. It will be assembled in two reservoirs with a volume of 4,000 cubic meters each, passing through a purification stage and entering the storage ponds for evaporation and irrigation. Now the installation of treatment facilities is being completed.

 Iskander Giniyatullin noted that the technology used for recultivation of the Samosyrovkaya dump is known. "We are implementing proven technologies. This is not the place for experiments, "-he emphasized.

Asked by the Mayor about the amount of work remaining, the chairman of the HUC informed that up to the end of April it remained to fulfill 15% of contractual obligations.

"This is a very serious object that requires both project expertise and strict compliance with all environmental standards. This is one of the most important environmental projects,"- the Mayor stressed. He noted that the reclamation of the Samosyrovkaya landfill is carried out within the framework of the federal program "On the approval of a set of priority measures aimed at eliminating negative environmental impacts resulting from past economic and other activities." A total of 274 million rubles were allocated for the project, of which 141.5 million rubles are federal budget funds, and 132.5 million rubles is the consolidated budget of the Republic of Tatarstan. Another 40 million rubles were spent in previous years during the preparatory work.

The Mayor of Kazan stressed that the project is being carried out on time and recalled the recent release of landfill gas at a Volokolamsky’s dump. According to him, this confirmed how dangerous such landfills are and what environmental catastrophe can lead to. "We must live in a safe, clean, well-organized and environmentally friendly city, ecology is one of the priorities of Kazan's development,"- the head of the city said.

The technical stage of reclamation smoothly turns into a biological one, which involves sowing grass, planting trees and shrubs. Iskander Giniyatullin said that when the weather permits, soil will be brought here. "In the autumn we plan to plant lilac, dog rose, cherry, bird cherry, rowan," he told reporters.

"God grant us to come here in 10 years with children and walk along alleys. Only memory will remain that once it was a mountain of garbage ", - the mayor introduced.

Asked by journalists about the planned construction of the garbage incineration plant, the Mayor said that Europe, Japan, South Korea, and the United States have already passed this way. "We do not have so much land for continuing to produce garbage mountains,"- he said.

Recall, Samosyrovskaya dump is the largest in the territory of Tatarstan and occupies a plot of 32 hectares. More than 45 million tons of garbage were buried here. Before to reclamation, the landfill reached a height of 45 m. The landfill has been closed since 2013.