More pollution from transport, less from industry
Emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere amounted to over 150 000 tons in Murmansk Oblast in course of the first six months of 2010. This is 1.7 percent more than in the same period in 2009, Regnum reports.
Head of the Regional Committee for Ecology and Management of Natural Resources Aleksey Smirnov says to the news agency Regnum that the increase in amount of emissions is a result of more use of transport in the region. Emission from industry has on the other hand been reduced.
- All in all the ecological situation in Murmansk Oblast is good, Smirnov says. – In an ecological rating made by the organization “Green Patrol” Murmansk is rated as number 21 of 83 Russian subjects. Murmansk has never been lower than number 22-23 on this rating, he adds.
According to the rating, only Pskov Oblast is rated higher than Murmansk among the regions in the Northwestern Federal District. Of the other Russian regions that are members of the Barents Euro-Arctic Cooperation, Komi Oblast is rated as number 34, Nenets Autonomous Okrug as number 47, Arkhangelsk as number 48 and the Republic of Karelia as number 64.
The biggest sources of pollution in Murmansk Oblast are the Kola Mining and Metallurgy Company’s two plants Severonikel in Monchegorsk and Pechenganikel in Nikel, the Kandalaksha Aluminum Factory and the Lovozero Mining and Metallurgy Plant.
