Rivers In Belarus Have Become Shallow On Record

Pripyat has not overflowed its banks for the first time in decades.

This spring the water bodies of Belarus have become record shallow. For example, the spring flood has not formed in Brest voblast. Pripyat is already behaving differently than usual - for the first time in several dozen years it has not left its banks in spring. Experts say that if the dry weather continues in the near future, the water level may approach the minimum values in the history of meteorological observations. What risks and threats it brings, told on GosTV.

30 million cubic meters of water today lacks in the reservoir of the fish farm "Selets". This is almost 2/3 of its volume. The fish farm "Selets" accounts for up to a quarter of domestic fish farming - carp, sturgeon, catfish, pike, crucian carp. Up to 3,000 tons a year, not counting the breeding stock.

What today is seen as a picturesque sandy shore used to be completely covered by the water column. The principle is simple - the reservoir is akin to a large bank, which is replenished by the Yaselda River. From here the water is sent to ponds for growing 15 species of fish. But not this year. For 37 years of work in the farm, the director does not remember such a thing. Such a critical drop in water level in our reservoir has never happened before, the fish farm claims.

Summer drought, dry autumn, snowless winter and modest spring - all this led to a large-scale shallowing. The farm was forced to switch to a conservation method of fish farming. What does it mean? The volume of water in the ponds was reduced to a critical 80%. Pumps were connected to pump water from the lowest point of the farm, incurring additional electricity costs. The most extreme measure was emptying four ponds. It was the only chance to fill the neighboring ponds up to the normal level.

The water crisis has affected all fisheries of the country. Literally, they are suffocating.

- Unfortunately, this is the situation all over the country this year. My colleagues also pay attention to the fact that today they are left without water. It is Vitebsk region, Postavy, Minsk region, and our Gantsevichi and Polesie, Svisloch have water deficit, - says the director of the experimental fish farm "Selets" Yuri Bazhenov.

This year the rivers of Brest region were deprived of spring flooding - only half of the climatic norm of precipitation fell during the winter, spring runoff is expected to be the lowest for the last 20 years.

- We are observing a real drought, - says the head of the laboratory of ecosystem optimization of Polessky Agrarian and Ecological Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Viktor Demyanchik. - The drought has led, for example, to the fact that large animals are in shortage of food, so they came closer to populated areas. For example, foxes, raccoon dogs. Because of the lack of moisture, this season will be a test for our zonal nature.

If the dry weather persists, water levels in rivers will reach the lowest levels in the history of hydrologic meteorological observations, experts predict.

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