An Open Letter to president of the Russian Federation
In Russian
An Open Letter to president of the Russian Federation
Starting from August of 2011 the western slope of Mashuk mountain located in Pyatigorsk which is known as a resort town of federal significance has become subject to massive deforestation and destruction of its vegetation cover.
Mashuk is a laccolith mountain, which is considered as a natural laboratory, and its landscape features, geological, hydrogeological conditions and microclimatic aspects have very important meaning for preservation of the environment. It's an area of formation and discharge of mineral springs (it's the 1st and the 2nd zones of Sanitary Protection of Pyatigorsk mineral water deposits) and also it's a general base of unique ecosystem of the region. It was here that about 25 plants species got their first scientific description, thus making the standard for those species. Nevertheless, the plant cover is important not only for gene pool and its etalon significance, but also it prevents pathogenic microorganisms from penetrating into the areas where the mineral waters form. The Perkalsky arboretum, which is a branch of the Saint Petersburg Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, works on one of slopes of Mashuk mountain since 1879. Besides, there are about 60 archaeological monuments here. Furthermore, Mashuk is also a historical place. In different years it has been visited by A.S.Pushkin, L.N.Tolstoy, A.S.Griboedov, A.P.Chekhov, M.A.Bulgakov, S.A.Yesenin, A.I.Solzhenitsyn and many others. The slopes of Mashuk once saw the duel of M.Y.Lermontov, and they gave the everlasting rest to the well-known topographer A.V.Pastukhov, and lake Proval, which has been described in the novel of I. Ilf and E. Petrov "The Twelve Chairs", has become well-known all over the world. Besides, there is even a permafrost zone here.
That is why according to the order of the Stavropol Regional Executive Committee of the Soviet of Working People’s Deputies № 676 of 09/15/61 Mashuk mountain has been declared a State Natural Monument. In 1972 Mashuk was given the status of State wildlife preserve, and in 2004 it was given the status of the State Historical and Cultural Reserve (order number 33 of 03/09/04 of the Ministry of Culture of the Stavropol Territory). Thus it has been officially recognized that Mashuk Mountain plays an important multipurpose habitat-forming role for the whole Pyatigorsk resort - it promotes the formation of mineral waters, it's a general base of biodiversity of the unique ecosystem, it performs environmental significant protection, etc.
Article 58 of the Federal Law № 7 of 01/10/2002 "On Environmental Protection" states that natural monuments and natural facilities of special nature preservation, scientific, historical and cultural, aesthetic, recreational, health rehabilitation or those of any other importance, are under special protection and they constitute. Any land within the territories, where such specially protected natural reserves are located, shall not be subject to privatization; any confiscation of the lands of the fund of protected natural reserves is prohibited. Article 59 of the above-cited Federal Law prohibits economic or other activity that exerts any negative effect on the environment, causing degradation and/or destruction of indicated natural reserves.
However, nowadays the regulations corresponding to these statuses are not only neglected, but also they are constantly getting to be transformed into less strict format. Local officials make up their own, "correct" documents. For example, in 2004 mountain Pyatigorsk Administration stopped considering Mashuk to be natural monument, and in 2008 any records about Mashuk as a museum of unique mineral waters and preservation zones disappeared from the Registry of Natural Areas of the Southern Federal District.
In 2005 after such undue familiarity with federal and territorial normative documents under the pretext of building a pension complex (as a recreational-purpose object) 37.3 hectares of the territory of the western slope of Mashuk mountain were sold (by contract № 5277 of 12/14/2005), despite the presence of state statuses and the fact that this land belongs to the 1st and 2nd Zones of Sanitary Protection.
From the moment of selling a land plot for construction, the city Administration is constantly searching for investors to realize this project as soon as possible, completely ignoring opinions of many ecologists and the inhabitants of Pyatigorsk, who oppose the construction works.
Our apprehensions for Mashuk's future are based not only on personal knowledge, opinions and visual observations. We also rely on opinions of experts, ecologists, regional ethnographers, architects; we have a confirmation of independent "Ecological examination of situation with Mashuk's slopes" (by the Medical and Ecological Association "Biotech", 04/20/2006) and we have the printed edition of the "Passport of State Nature Monument - the Mashuk Mountain" (composed in 2009 by scientists and specialists from a number of specialized research centers and organizations of Caucasian Mineral Waters region), which also reports of gross violations of Russian Federation regulations concerning nature preservation.
Basing on these and many other episodes, we can state with confidence:
● the capital of North Caucasus Federal District has already made it a good practice to transform the free areas of parks and squares into private elite-type settlements and to reshape recreational objects into Trade & Entertainment complexes. The pointed infill construction in our town continues and it affects green areas, forest, squares, parks, alleys, flowerbeds and lawns. It has become one of the reasons of complex traffic situation in the city. Nowadays afternoon rush hours may see hours-long traffic jams;
● local papers and Internet-sites bristle with advertisements about selling of plots of land for construction on the slopes of Mashuk mountain and state natural reserve "Beshtaugorskiy", though the southern and the south-eastern slopes of Mashuk have already been overdeveloped and built up of new, commercial objects still continues, and it aggravates the sanitary situation which is already unfavorable (on Gagarin Blvd., mountain Goryachaya, Kirov avenue, etc.).
● at the present time, with the capacity of the resort reaching 12-13 thousand people, yet mineral water supply of the resort during summertime is insufficient, and the discharge of basic carbonate hydrogen sulfide waters on resort also decreases sharply. For some of those the temperature regime has changed. The borehole repair works either have never taken place or their volume has reduced significantly. About 3000 m3 of Pyatigorsk resort’s mineral waters discharging per day are sanitarily unfavorable (Academic borehole, radon springs of "Radioshtolnya No.2" and sulfur waters of Teplosernaya No.1, No.3), are being directly dumped into the Podkumok river without being used. The main reason for such bad sanitary condition of these water sources is the unsatisfactory condition of the 1st Zone of Sanitary Protection on the Mashuk mountain.
● massive construction activity in the source area of water springs, for example, the VIP-spa "Galereya Palace" (2007), and the erection of a private hotel near the S.M. Kirov Health Centre lead to resort degradation. One of the Pyatigorsk’s main attractions - S. Upton’s Academic Gallery - has closed; the water level in the Proval Lake has decreased. The shelves of local stores suffered the disappearance of the city’s famous trademark - mineral water "Mashuk-19." Our resort town loses its unique natural resources in the race for quick and easy penny.
● the Joint Resolution of the RSFSR Council of Ministers and the SU Labor Unions of December 24, 1985 "On the measures of preservation and refinement of Caucasian Mineral Waters group of city-resorts" has remained unfulfilled, as well as the Stavropol Region Executive Committee’s Resolution № 303 and other decisions based on these acts charged by City Executive Committees, all of which outlined the measures of cleaning of the zones of sanitary protection including the Mashuk mountain.
● excessive influx of vehicles and visitors to Mashuk’s forest territory causes widespread bio-ecological balance disruption, thus reducing the viability of local phytocenosis - plant community that has been developing through ages. Under the pretext of cleaning the forest from dead wood the uncontrollable intensive deforestation and cutting of healthy trees have seriously weakened the vitality of the forest and it have stipulated the propagation of pests and diseases.
● Mashuk mountain is a shield of Pyatigorsk’s environment. The mountain surface by its fracture zones relates directly to the aquifers of healing mineral water and it determines its importance as a part of water protection system. Forest and grasslands, which cover the mountain guard the purity of mineral waters and precious gene pool of Ciscaucasian forest-steppe zone, they are keeping the air clean, mitigate and normalize the resort’s climate.
● Mashuk mountain stays the inalienable part of federal health center of a balneary-resort type, if to say specific, it forms the prosperous landscape climatic conditions, which are currently aggravating since a former sanatorium "Neftyanik" on the western slope has been turned into a hotel complex "The Lost Paradise near Mashuk." Quite a large settlement "Energetic" was built on the north-western slope. And the northern and north-eastern slopes are partially occupied with dacha-cottages, kitchen gardens and trash dumps.
Residents of our city are extremely concerned about the future of the resort which has federal significance. Public hearings on the construction project, located on the slope of Mashuk, have been held with violations. The specific date and time for the hearings have been deliberately chosen so that most of the concerned public representatives wouldn’t be able to visit the hearings. For those Pyatigorsk dwellers who opposed the project plans and still managed to get into the conference room, simply did not have any chance to speak out. Their opinion has neither been recorded in the report.
● Regional and federal mass-media supported the negative reaction of residents opposing the project.
● Group appeal of residents to L.N. Travnev, the Mayor of Pyatigorsk, hasn’t got any feedback.
● The claim of the initiative group, addressed to Regional District Attorney Office and various Federal Supervisory Authorities, with the question of legitimacy of construction project has also been left without proper response. Gross violations of Russian Federal regulations in the field of environment protection and land use "have not been found" as it was stated. Multiple appeals to the Stavropol Region Government, to the Administration of Caucasian Mineral Waters, to the Duma of Stavropol Region have not altered the situation.
● An authorized protest meeting that has united more than 300 people in front of the Administration building on November 27th, 2011 has not been taken into account.
All this has caused vast public resonance.
Residents of Pyatigorsk do remember the success, achieved through a long and difficult struggle to save the Park Komsomolsky - a small green patch in a big neighborhood. We didn’t let them to build another shopping center and cafes there, as such kind of objects are already enough and to spare! In 2006, during the election campaign, promo-leaflets of the leading pro-government party "Edinaya Rossiya" contained the slogan: "Any Seller of the Park Komsomolsky and Mashuk are worth a prison sentence!" However, after the elections the winner-party kept on the course of their predecessors - to sell everything including the objects that are not subject to selling.
We ask: "Have the city fathers become indifferent to the fate and fortune of Mashuk after 5 years? Why the opinion of Pyatigorsk inhabitants is still neglected?" About 80% of residents and resort tourists surveyed have clearly stated their protest against any planned construction activity in a protected area. The list with their signatures is enclosed to this open letter. Remaining 20% of surveyed either were not sure with the answer or approved the construction. The preparatory work and zero stage of construction process are in full swing, and the local authorities have stuck out their deaf ears for public outcry!
We do not agree with responses to our request, received from supervisors and public authorities, so any readdressing of this question farther to the Regional Government Structures is no longer acceptable.
We appeal to you with the request, by the power and authority given to you to step into the current situation and stop the uprising ecological disaster in Pyatigorsk or the consequences may be irreversible.
We ask to send to the Specially Protected Eco-resort Area of Caucasian Mineral Waters a Commission which will include local and independent experts in the field of ecology, hydrogeology, and balneology to perform the detailed inspection of the activity of the local administration and environmental authorities of the city-resorts. Cases of flagrant interference in the nature of the resort region have got a large scale in contemporary life of the region.
We do hope that your intervention will help us to save that priceless and unique Monument of Nature, History and Culture of Mashuk mountain, and it will provide safe welfare for nonetheless unique balneological resort city.
01/20/2012
The initiative group of activists "Solar Patrol," Pyatigorsk
Residents and tourists of the resorts of CMW region.
The Regional public organization "Stavropol Slavic Union"
there are scans
Download "Open Letter" in pdf format (in Russian)
Published in media "Caucasian Knot".
thanks to __irka__ , Maria Vlasova and Co in the preparation of the translation