OIL PRODUCT SPILL IN NORILSK MAY 29, 2020:ALLEGED REASONS AND POSSIBLE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The article analyzes a man-made disaster of an oil spill that occurred in the city of Norilsk on May 29, 2020. The data for the study has been provided through the official open sources about the environmental disaster and the comments of experts. Not far from the city of Norilsk, a backup diesel fuel tank was depressurized at a combined heat and power plant owned by the Norilsk-Taimyr energy company, which belongs to PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel. According to the available data, the tank contained 21,163 m³ of fuel. Most of the fuel entered the Daldykan River, the right tributary of the Ambarnaya River, which flows into Lake Pyasino, which communicates with the Kara Sea through the Pyasina River. As a result of this spill, water bodies and soil cover were damaged. The article identifies three possible reasons for this incident: irresponsible operation and improper maintenance of buildings and structures of the CHPP, ineffective technical and environmental control, rapid melting of permafrost caused by global warming. Due to natural and climatic features, the ecosystems in the area of the spill have a very low recovery potential. In such conditions, even small-scale anthropogenic impacts can cause a significant damage to ecosystems. There is concern that ecosystems of water bodies will take a very long time to recover and probably will never recover to their initial condition. It is also noted that there is a threat of pollution of the marine ecosystems of the Kara Sea, as it receives the runoff of water bodies that have been polluted. Finally, some recommendations are given that can prevent or reduce the likelihood of such accidents in the future.