vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #154 / Social life / Reading article...

Water specialists — along with city and krai leaders — banged heads recently over South Primorye’s water problem, which isn’t expected to go away until spring.

The Krai Emergency Committee met Nov. 4 to discuss how to keep Vladivostok, Artyom, and the entire Nadezhdensky County from losing water for good now that reservoirs are estimated to be at the dead level: under 55 percent of capacity.

Several newspapers – including the Vladivostok News – had previously reported the level at 10 percent of capacity, but officials now say the situation isn’t that bad.

Still, committee members fear that a severe shortage could spread epidemics and infections, as well as cripple the local economy. They agree that it is crucial to begin economizing water throughout the three affected areas.

But for most of the meeting, committee members were more comfortable blaming political opponents than finding solutions for the problem. Committee chairman and First Vice Gov. Konstantin Tolstoshein directed most of his criticism at Vladivostok Mayor Victor Cherepkov, who was at the krai court in the morning, and later went to the hospital complaining of heart problems.

Tolstoshein said that Cherepkov has been unreachable since Nov. 1. “This is how our mayor deals with such serious problems,” Tolstoshein said.

The vice governor also accused Cherepkov, who has since said he would resign, of complicating Vladivostok’s already overwhelming problems. He cited an October radio address in which Cherepkov said he would not sign any decrees implementing water regimentation. Cherepkov’s announcement came days after his own deputy mayor, Nikolai Markovtsev, signed a document scheduling citywide cuts.

Vice Mayor Nikolai Beletsky, however, said the committee was overreacting to Cherepkov’s announcement. “The situation is worse now because we are starting up the city’s heating system, which demands three times as much water than normal,” Beletsky said. “But once that’s finished, after a week things should improve.”

Other committee members did not share Beletsky’s optimism, and suggested a plan for limiting Vladivostok’s water supply by up to 30 percent this winter. According to Yevgeny Nechiporenko, chairman of the krai’s water economy commission, the krai would only take 20,000 cubic meters of water per hour from the Artyom reservoir.

The committee also urged city officials to fix pipe leaks throughout area, and proposed turning off water to enterprises that exceed certain water use limits, as yet undefined.

Members also recommend that all enterprises search for alternate sources of water or even consider bringing it in by rail or tanker.