River

system report; The Volga

RIVER SYSTEM REPORT I&S 2015

FILIP ERIKSSON

GERMAN EUROPEAN SCHOOL SINGAPORE | 72 BUKIT THINGI ROAD, SINGAPORE

E-09B

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Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 2
Past conflicts and problems ................................................................................................................... 2
Present problems and conflicts .............................................................................................................. 3
Water management ............................................................................................................................... 4
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 5
Capture sheet ......................................................................................................................................... 6

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Introduction
The Volga River is one of the largest rivers in the world, flowing through Central Russia. It is a great
water resource, and is used for both drinking water,
generate electricity and works as a transportation
route.
The rivers water shed and basin is 1,380,000 km2,
which is a huge area, and has a length of almost
200km. The Volga River affect a population of more
than 60 million people.
Its considered one of the biggest rivers in the
world, and it is the greatest river in Europe.

The river starts in Valdai Hills, Tver Oblasts, which is
in the Northern-Western part of Russia, with the
coordinates 579N 3236E, and then empties out
in the Caspian Sea.
The river has over 200 small streams and rivers
joining it, but the main tributaries are the Kama
River, Oka River, Vetluga and Sura River.
The river passes by and is used as a water resource for many Russian cities. The biggest ones are
Moscow (the capital), Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov, Samara, Ulyanovsk, Nizhn Novogorod,
Yaroslavl, Tver and a few more. The river also passes by many agricultural areas, where the river
plays a bot economic role, social and ethnic role. It is a part of the Russian culture, and is called
Mother Volga by many locals.
The average discharge around the cities is 8.060m3/s, where 60% precipitated is snow.
Most of the water is used for hydroelectric power, drinking water collected in big water reservoirs,
dams for navigation and farming in agricultural areas.

Past conflicts and problems

The Battle of Stalingrad.
In July 1942, Joseph Stalin (leader of the Soviet Union, stationary in Moscow) was preparing Moscow
to be attacked by the Germans, as they had done in another previous attack. However, instead the
Nazis decided to conquer parts on Southern Russia instead, and in the end gain control over the
Russian city Stalingrad, which was a major industrial city. The Nazis gradually also gained control
over the Volga river. The river was mainly used for navigation, as its route reached very far and went
through whole Central Russia. The dominance of the southern parts of the river was very important,
as this was where a lot of material was shipped in to Russia from the Caspian Sea. Therefore, the
Germans blocked the river and its heavy flow of traffic, cutting resources that was being transported
off from bigger parts of Russia, as the Volga River flowed by many central and big cities.
The Volga is still a major route of ships transporting goods to Russia, but today we have planes,
trucks and other docks in order to transport material everywhere. However, there is still a lot of
traffic on the Volga, both ships transporting good, and private boats.

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The Moscow-Volga Canal

From 1932 till 1937 Stalin had a canal built a canal connection upper Volga to the River Moskva. This
was a great benefit for transportation, as it gave Moscow access to new routes and it made the
trading route even bigger. Many towns along the river were also industrialized and turned into big
cities. However, this wasted much resources and there was habitat loss for both poorer villages and
animals, in the process of both building the eleven dams that was along the way to Moscow, and to
build the cities. Big areas of the river were also polluted by the sewages and drains in the cities,
where a lot was dumped and polluted the river. This was critical as the river was a water source for
the other big cities along the river.

(To the left is the Moscow-Volga canal,
which was busy daily with shipping
goods, boarding ships and work as a
main trading route in Russia.)

Present problems and conflicts

Today the Volga is unfortunately still facing big problems. The problems today are results of past
problems that have become bigger and bigger. The conflicts arent the problems themselves, but the
conflict circle around different opinions on what to do with the problems faced.
Dams and hydroelectric power stations
There are numerous big dams and hydroelectric power stations on the Volga River. The dams create
big water reservoirs on the Volga, where drinking water is supplied to different parts of Russia. The
hydroelectric power plants create a lot of energy from the river, as it flows through the power
stations where they gain energy from the flow. It is a great power source, and it is a good economic
factor as Russia sells the energy to nearby countries. However, dams and power stations have great
negative environmental impacts, such as:
1. In the process of building dams, a lot of fish spawning grounds are destroyed, creating less
fish from both spawning and migration to the area. Villages may have to move too, as the
dams take much space to build. This has caused a lot of people to move from their homes,
mostly as theyve lived very close to the river.
2. To improve the navigation on the river, the dams make the water slow flowing. This means
that less sediment is carried down the river. Sediment is critical for the rivers physical
process and for habitats downstream. For example, without the big amount of sediment, the
process of erosion, where the river gets wider and deeper, is not possible.

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3. Changes in temperature, oxygen level and chemical dispose because of the power stations
affect organisms and habitats depending on the water.
Pollution
A lot of the Volga River is polluted with chemicals, some even dangerous to us.
Much of the pollution come from the major cities disposal of waste. A lot of the material that is
pumped from the sewages into the river is heavily polluted. Even oil spills have been detected in the
river, affecting all the animals depending on the river as a resource.

Another factor where the pollution come from are the agricultural areas, with fields using a lot of
fertilizers that are then released into the water, growing algae and changing the oxygen level of the
water. This has a big impact on especially aquatic animals such as fish, as both fertilizers and
insecticides are very toxic to them. A lot of the pollution is also left over from the Soviet period,
when pollution wasnt what Russia was focusing on controlling.
In 2009 a wrecked tanker on the river resulted in a two ton oil spill in Somara Oblast. The oil spill was
10km long and affected both wildlife and the population living near the river, as the oil killed aquatic
animals and birds. It also affected the erosion as the oil contained more chemicals than needed for
normal erosion. (Picture of the 2009 oil spill below)

Factories and industries are also big contributors to the water pollution. Both oil and gases go into
the water, leaving its toxic chemicals in it.

Water management
Even though Volga is threatened, there is much effort that is put down by the government and
different organisations in order to sustain the river and keep its cycle functioning. The organization
UNEP (United Nation Environment Programme) support the projects of the Russian Ministry for
Natural Resources. The ministry makes plans for example building and placing dams at location
where they would have less impact on the river and its habitats.

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Instead of for example putting it where fish breed and live, a dam could be put more upstream, so
that later when the fish would travel downstream there would be less of a chance of them getting
hurt.
In 2009-2010 a project called Integrated Water Resources Management for Sustainable Freshwater
Supply and Conservation was introduced, with the aim of both cleaning up areas of the Volga and to
use a lot as a freshwater supply for cities and villages. Since then there has been improvement, but
there is how ever still pollution.
So what are the ways that organizations or the government can actually change or reduce the
negative impacts of damming and pollution?
Dams

1. Location of a dam has a big importance, as it will have an impact on the following part of the
river. Locating a dam on the upper section of a big tributary would be an option, especially if
the river has many tributaries leading to it. Then, the slow flow of the tributary wont have a
big impact on the rest of the river.
2. Replacing fish-habitats would be an option so that the fish wont be as effected by the dam.
However as the fish is already there, it would save much time and money to just place the
dam more upstream or downstream.
3. Using more modern dams that are design to reduce the dead storage of water and sediment
caught by the dam wall.

Pollution
1. Simple things such as not pouring household chemicals, medicine, oil and fat products into
the drain or sink is what can reduce huge amount of polluted water.
2. Reducing the amount of industries and factories globally. It would be very hard as a lot of
people would be without jobs, there would be some companies that would have to shut
down. However, the factories are very big contributors to both water pollution and the
global warming, or the Greenhouse Effect, leaving its carbon footprint in the ozone layer.
3. Sewage and waste treatment is an efficient method of cleaning the waste and preventing it
from polluting the water. It is an ongoing process globally, and especially efficient in
developing countries.

Conclusion

If we do not consider and take care of the issues and problems concerning the rivers, not only the
Volga, but all major rivers in the world. Our society needs to be more aware of it though, and the
people have to do the little that they can do to make a change. Although dams and such affect the
rivers, the major concern is the pollution and waste that is dumped in the rivers. It is critical to get
rid of as soon as possible, before it is too late. Countries face their own water problems, but they all
can all do the same to stop it, and that is by putting more money, energy and time into it. Together
we can all make a change.

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Capture sheet
What, were, how does it look like and flow?
The Volga has many tributaries, most importantly the Kama, the Oka, the Vetluga, and
the Sura rivers. The Volga and its tributaries form the Volga river system, which flows through an
area of about 1,350,000 square kilometres (521,238 square miles) in the most heavily populated part
of Russia.
Country

Russia

Tributaries

- left

Kama River

- right

Oka River

Cities

Astrakhan, Volgograd, Saratov,Samara, Ulyanovsk, Kazan,Nizhny

Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Tver

Source

- location

Valdai Hills, Tver Oblast

- elevation

225 m (738 ft)

- coordinates

579N 3236E

Mouth

Caspian Sea

- elevation

-28 m (-92 ft)

- coordinates

4550N 4758ECoordinates:

Length

3,692 km (2,294 mi)

Basin

1,380,000 km (532,821 sq mi)

Discharge

for Astrakhan

- average

8,060 m /s (284,636 cu ft/s)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga_River

4550N 4758E

[1]

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The river flows through Russia's heavily populated western region and is widely viewed as the
national river of Russia. Eleven out of the twenty largest cities of Russia, including its capital
Moscow, are situated in the Volga basin.

The Volga Delta has a length of about 160 kilometres and includes as many as 500 channels and
smaller rivers. The largest estuary in Europe, it is the only place in Russia where pelicans, flamingoes,
and lotuses may be found.
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/rivers/volga/
Volga River, Russian Volga, ancient (Greek) Ra or
(Tatar) Itil or Etil, river of Europe, the continents longest, and the principal waterway of
western Russia and the historic cradle of the Russian state. Its basin, sprawling across
about two-fifths of the European part of Russia, contains almost half of the entire population
of the Russian Republic. The Volgas immense economic, cultural, and historic importance
along with the sheer size of the river and its basinranks it among the worlds great rivers.

http://global.britannica.com/place/Volga-River
Past conflicts/problems?
In modern times, the city on the big bend of the Volga, currently known as Volgograd,
witnessed the Battle of Stalingrad, possibly the bloodiest battle in human history, in which
the Soviet Union and the German forces were deadlocked in a stalemate battle for access to
the river. The Volga was (and still is) a vital transport route between central Russia and the
Caspian Sea, which provides access to the oil fields of Apsheron. Hitler planned to use
access to the oil fields of Azerbaijan to fuel future German conquests. Apart from that,
whoever held both sides of the river could move valuable troops and war machines, across
the river, to defeat the enemys fortifications beyond the river. By taking the river, Hitlers
Germany would have been able to move supplies, guns, and men into the northern part of
Russia.
http://www.russianbest.com/what-are-some-conflicts-of-the-volga-river.html
In modern times, the city on the big bend of the Volga, currently known as Volgograd, witnessed
the Battle of Stalingrad, possibly the bloodiest battle in human history, in which the Soviet Union
and the German forces were deadlocked in a stalemate battle for access to the river. The Volga
was (and still is) a vital transport route between central Russia and the Caspian Sea, which
provides access to the oil fields of the Apsheron Peninsula. Hitler planned to use access to the
oil fields of Azerbaijan to fuel future German conquests. Apart from that, whoever held both sides
of the river could move forces across the river, to defeat the enemy's fortifications beyond the
river.[10] By taking the river, Hitler's Germany would have been able to move supplies, guns, and
men into the northern part of Russia. At the same time, Germany could permanently deny this
transport route by the Soviet Union, hampering its access to oil and to supplies via the Persian
Corridor.
For this reason, many amphibious military assaults were brought about in an attempt to remove
the other side from the banks of the river. In these battles, the Soviet Union was the

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main offensive side, while the German troops used a more defensive stance, though much of the
fighting was close quarters combat, with no clear offensive or defensive side.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volga_River
Present conflicts/problems
The environmental consequences of large dams are numerous and varied, and includes
direct impacts to the biological, chemical and physical properties of rivers and riparian (or
"stream-side") environments.
The dam wall itself blocks fish migrations, which in some cases and with some species
completely separate spawning habitats from rearing habitats. The dam also traps
sediments, which are critical for maintaining physical processes and habitats downstream of
the dam (include the maintenance of productive deltas, barrier islands, fertile floodplains and
coastal wetlands).
https://www.internationalrivers.org/environmental-impacts-of-dams

Current threats
Dams upstream have altered the natural flow regime of the river thus negatively affecting
the productivity of the delta and its fauna. Planned impoundments, water diversions,
industrial, agricultural, and domestic pollution further threaten the health of populations
dependent upon the delta ecosystem. Cyanobacterial blooms and deoxygentation have
increased in recent years.
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/rivers/volga/
What are the main environmental concerns for the river?

According to an assessment of the World Bank, some of Volga tributaries are characterized as very
polluted, while some are even extremely polluted.
In mid-2009, environmental activists announced that risks of a grave environmental problem arising in
the Saratov region were high, as hazardous reagents, used to clear ice from streets, were likely to end
up dumped in the water.
8 enormous water reservoirs, created to facilitate the work of hydroelectric power plants along Volga,
turned it into a sequence of still water lakes, permanently altering its course.
At present tons of chemicals are contained in the water, most of which are highly toxic.
Heightened levels of pollution are negatively influencing the inhabitants of the river: data collected in
2007 shows that 90% of fish residing there were mutant, while in 2008 the number increased to 100%
for some kinds of fish.
Repeated instances of oil spills in the river have led to further deterioration of the river environment.
In 2008, a giant 1 kilometer-long oil stain was detected in the Chernoyarsk region of Astrahanska
Oblast, its weight over 32 kg. In July 2009, 2 tons of fuel oil were spilled as a result of a tanker wreck
in Samara Oblast, forming a 10 kilometre oil stain on the waters surface.

http://www.unep.org/roe/TotherescueofRiverVolga/tabid/54599/Default.aspx

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Industrial causes of water pollution.

Industrial waste
Industries cause huge water pollution with their activities. These come mainly from:
Sulphur This is a non-metallic substance that is harmful for marine life.

Asbestos This pollutant has cancer-causing properties. When inhaled, it can cause
illnesses such as asbestosis and some types of cancer.
Lead and Mecury These are metallic elements and can cause environmental and
health problems for humans and animals. It is also poisonous. It is usually very hard
to clean it up from the environment once it gets into it because it is nonbiodegradable.
Nitrates & Phosphates These are found in fertilizers, and are often washed from
the soils to nearby water bodies. They can cause eutrophication, which can be very
problematic to marine environments.
Oils Oils form a thick layer on the water surface because they do not dissolve in
water. This can stop marine plants receiving enough light for photosynthesis. It is
also harmful for fish and marine birds. A classic example is the BP oil spill in 2012
with killed thousands of animal species. Read more on this HERE

Oil Pollution by Oil Industires

Routine shipping, run-offs and dumping of oils on the ocean surfaces happen
everyday. Oil spills make up about 12% of the oil that enters the ocean. Oil spills
cause major problems, and can be extremely harmful to local marine wildlife such as
fish, birds and sea otters and other aquatic life. Because oil does not dissolve, it
stays on the water surface and suffocates fish. Oil also gets caught in the feathers of
sea birds, making it difficult for them to fly. Some animals die as a result.
Here are some more causes causes of water pollution

http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/water-pollution/industrial-causes-of-water-pollution.html

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Water management
What have been the steps UNEP has taken to tackle the issues in the region?
UNEP has promoted and supported projects of the Russian Ministry for Natural Resources and
the State Duma on aspects of environmentally sound management of the Volga river basin.
Work was undertaken within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the
Russian state Duma and UNEP, on assessment of climate change impacts on the Volga River
basin resources, signed in May 2008 for a period of six months. The work under this agreement
was carried out with the following key objectives: assessment of climate change impacts on the
state of water resources in the Volga river basin, including vulnerability to flooding and water
logging; recommendations to decision-makers and legislative bodies, including the State Duma,
on relevant amendments to current normative and legislative acts and adaptation measures.
UNEP provided support and contributed expert services through consultants.

http://www.unep.org/roe/TotherescueofRiverVolga/tabid/54599/Default.aspx
In the World Bank we often discuss how important it is to integrate solutions across sectors. In
Mombasa, Kenya, we have an example of how a comprehensive sediment management approach
will allow the government to lower the environmental impact of a proposed dam and save tens of
millions of dollars by reducing the amount of sediment that the dam traps. When too much
sediment is trapped in a dam, the lifespan of the dam is shortened considerably so reducing
sediment is key for long-term success.
The government was considering a design of a dam to provide drinking water to the city of
Mombasa and irrigation and drinking water services to people living near the dam site. The
proposed dam was planned for 87m high and It was designed to store almost double the mean
annual river flow (105 million cubic meters per year). But about 40% of it was dead storage (water
that cannot be drained by gravity through the dam's outlets or spillways) needed mainly to store
sediment.

http://blogs.worldbank.org/water/reducing-dam-impacts-and-costs-by-thinking-of-the-land-abovethe-dam