Environmental problems. Draining a summer cottage

On July 10, 1976, in the small Italian town of Seveso, an incident occurred. terrible disaster. An accident at a local chemical plant producing trichlorophenol released a huge toxic cloud containing more than 2 kg into the air. dioxins are one of the most toxic substances on earth. (This amount of dioxins can kill more than 100 thousand people). The cause of the accident was a failure in the production process, the pressure and temperature in the reactor sharply increased, the explosion-preventing valve operated, and a deadly gas leaked. The leak lasted two to three minutes; the resulting white cloud began to spread to the southeast with the wind and stretched over the city. Then it began to descend and cover the ground with fog. Tiny particles of chemicals fell from the sky like snow, and the air was filled with an acrid, chlorine-like smell. Thousands of people experienced coughing attacks, nausea, severe pain in the eyes and headaches. The plant management believed that there was only a small release of trichlorophenol, which is a million times less toxic than dioxins (no one imagined that they could be contained there).
Plant managers provided a detailed report on the incident only on July 12. Meanwhile, all this time, unsuspecting people continued to eat vegetables and fruits, as it turned out later, from areas contaminated with dioxins.

The tragic consequences of what happened began to fully manifest themselves on July 14. Hundreds of people who were seriously poisoned ended up in hospitals. The victims' skin became covered with eczema, scars and burns; they suffered from vomiting and severe headaches. In pregnant women, there has been an extremely high rate of miscarriages. And doctors, relying on the company's information, treated patients for poisoning with trichlorophenol, which is a million times less toxic than dioxins. Mass death of animals began. They received lethal doses of poison much faster than humans due to the fact that they drank rainwater and ate grass, which contained large doses of dioxins. On the same day, a meeting of the mayors of Seveso and nearby Meda was held, at which a priority action plan was adopted. The next day, it was decided to burn all the trees, as well as the fruits and vegetables harvested from the contaminated area.

Only in 5 days chemical laboratory in Switzerland it was found that as a result of a leak, large number dioxins. All local doctors were notified about the contamination of the area with dioxins, and a ban was established on eating foods from the contaminated region.
On July 24, the evacuation of residents from the most contaminated areas began. This area was fenced with barbed wire and police cordons were placed around it. After that, people in protective overalls entered there to destroy the remaining animals and plants. All vegetation in the most contaminated area was burned, and in addition to the 25 thousand dead animals, another 60 thousand were killed. Healthy human existence is still impossible in these areas.

Scientists from the University of Milan conducted a study to study the incidence of cancer in the population of settlements nearby the city of Seveso.
More than 36 thousand people were monitored and a significantly higher incidence of cancer was detected in them. From 1976 to 1986, about 500 people died from cancer in the disaster area. In 1977, 39 cases of congenital deformities were recorded there, which is significantly more than before the disaster.

The largest Hungarian industrial and environmental disaster, which occurred on October 4, 2010 at an aluminum production plant (Ajkai Timfoldgyar Zrt) near the city of Ajka (150 km from Budapest). An explosion occurred at the plant, destroying a platform that was holding a container containing toxic waste. As a result, 1,100,000 cubic meters of highly alkaline red mud leaked. The territories of the regions of Vas, Veszprem and Gyor-Moson-Sopron were flooded. There are 10 known victims of the accident (one more is considered missing); in total, more than 140 people received chemical burns and injuries due to the accident. Most of the local flora and fauna died. Toxic waste has entered many local rivers, significantly affecting their ecosystems.

Chronology of events:

October 4 at 12.25 – dam destruction. Leakage of 1.1 million cubic meters of toxic chemical - red mud.

October 7 – the norm for alkali content in the Danube was exceeded (according to the Hungarian Water Resources Control Service). A threat is created to the entire Danube ecosystem.

October 9 – the evacuation of the population of the affected city of Kolontar begins due to the existing threat of a repeated sludge spill.

October 12 – a decision was made to nationalize the company that owns the plant. All victims will receive compensation. According to monitoring data today, the amount of toxic substances in the soil is decreasing, although their level still remains at a dangerous level

Perhaps the most important environmental problem of the Nile River is the overpopulation of the countries located on the river. The life of the population of these countries completely depends on the Nile. Every year people's needs are growing. The river provides the people with water and electricity resources. Many wars old times were fought because of oil, in the modern world, they can be fought because of water. It is Neil - great river world, which has passed the history of mankind through its streams, will find itself at the epicenter of the conflict.

Fresh running water has always nourished life on our planet, but now its value is greater than ever. It is expected that over the next 20 years, the amount of water available to each person will be reduced by three times. It's about about Egypt. So, how is Egypt located downstream, relative to Ethiopia, the question rational use water resources of the Nile, is of a conflict nature. The situation is extremely serious and Egypt has already announced the possibility of war, referring to Ethiopia.

The Nile in Egypt flows almost all the time through the desert, not counting the narrow strips of green irrigated lands bordering the river on both banks, the entire territory of the country is a homeless desert. In the struggle for survival in this desert, the river plays a key role.

Giant dams were built upstream of the Nile to meet the need for electricity, but they also began to block the flow of the river and ruined the lives of Egyptian peasants. This country used to have some of the best soil in the world, but the construction of dams has disrupted the silt deposition that has naturally enriched the land for many thousands of years. Now the fields are producing an extremely meager harvest.

As a direct result modern methods the construction of dams - there was a decline in agriculture in Egypt for the first time in history. The peasants are forced to abandon the way of life that has supported the nation for many thousands of years. As the river approaches the southernmost point of Egypt's border, it becomes difficult not to notice that this people is rapidly modernizing and that tourism is displacing agriculture as the mainstay of the Egyptian economy, while the old way of life is gradually becoming a thing of the past.

The construction of a giant dam in Ethiopia can solve many problems for the population of this poor country, including providing full electricity. If the outcome of this project is positive, it is planned to build several more dams, which in turn will reduce the flow of water resources located downstream in Egypt by approximately half.

Undoubtedly, every country wants to use the priceless wealth of the Nile to the maximum. If a compromise is not found, the future fate of the Nile will be sad. Be that as it may, the river acquired such a specific environmental problem due to population growth, its modernization and increased needs.

In our large country, swamps and wetlands occupy significant areas. On swampy soils, ordinary plants, which are used to feed them, cannot grow and develop. underground parts- roots and rhizomes - oxygen is needed all the time. Standing, still water quickly becomes deprived of oxygen, and most plants die. Only those that have managed to adapt to life in the swamp survive - swamp plants.

Meanwhile, in my own way chemical composition swamp soils are extremely fertile. They can produce high yields of a wide variety of agricultural crops. But to do this, you must first drain the swamp. Then barren lands harmful to human health will turn into rich fields and pastures. Fat cornfields will begin to sprout where recently only stunted marsh grasses and low-growing shrubs grew.

In our country, a lot of work is being done to drain and develop swamps. Agriculture Socialist countries have already received millions of hectares of new fertile land.
Swamp drainage is now almost entirely mechanized. Soviet scientists and engineers have created many wonderful machines that do all the hard, tedious and monotonous work for people.

How are swamps drained?

First of all, you need to remove it from the soil. excess moisture, i.e. give it a drain. And the water should, of course, flow into the nearest river. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to deepen and widen the bed of such a river, and in some places straighten it. Here you have to remove the soil mainly from under the water.

Nowadays, soil is removed from the river by floating and land excavators, as well as dredging units.

Floating excavators are used in cases where the width of the river allows dumping of excavated soil onto the shore. This soil thrown out by an excavator is leveled with bulldozers.

Depending on their performance, floating dredgers are used on both large and small rivers. The soil they extract from the bottom of the river, mixed with water - pulp - is pumped through pipes to the shore and spread over the surface of the soil. There is no need for a bulldozer here.

But standing swamp water will not flow into the river on its own even after its channel has been deepened and widened. For drainage, more canals have to be laid across the entire area of ​​the swamp. First they dig the main, i.e. main, canals, then the collector canals. The latter collect water flowing from the swamp through a shallow closed or open drainage network and divert it into the main canal.

An open network of small drainage ditches serves to receive and drain surface water into collector channels, as well as to lower the groundwater level in the drained area.

Along with an open network of ditches, a closed network - drainages - is used when draining swamps. They are made of planks, pottery, fascine or mole. Board drainage is made from boards, which are knocked together in the form of rectangular pipes. Pottery consists of pottery, i.e. fired, clay pipes. Fascinous drainage - from various brushwood tree species, cleared of leaves and small branches. And finally, the mole channel is a system of underground channels resembling mole tunnels.

Main and collector channels with a depth of 1.5 to 2.5 m are laid by excavators specially adapted for working on swampy soil.

Plow ditchers work to lay an open shallow drainage network of ditches. This is a highly productive machine: in an hour it can dig ditches up to 2 km long and up to 80-100 cm deep.

A trench for laying the drainage is dug using a multi-bucket excavator or a plow ditch digger, then the drainage is lowered into it and covered with earth on top.

To lay mole drainage, mole plows and mole drainage machines have been created. They are driven by a tractor specially equipped for working on swampy soil.

Immediately after laying the canals, their slopes are strengthened with turf or sown with grass to avoid landslides.

But time passes, and open channels and ditches are gradually filled with sand or silt, overgrown with marsh grasses, become shallow, collapse and, as a result, begin to drain water poorly, or even become clogged. They have to be cleaned and repaired periodically.

So, the swamp has been drained. All of it was covered with a network of large and small canals. Standing water that has accumulated in the soil for years flows freely through these channels into the nearest river. But this is only the first part of the work of land reclamation workers - this is the name given to people involved in radical improvement. natural conditions lands with unfavorable water regime. Now the drained swamp needs to be reclaimed and prepared for sowing crops. To repair and clean ditches and canals, special cleaning machines are used: some for cleaning ditches of a small drainage network, others for cleaning collector and main canals.

The first step is to clear the soil of small bushes, stumps, hummocks and woody debris. You can't do much here with an ax and a shovel - this is a very labor-intensive task.

A brush cutter mounted on a tractor easily cuts bushes and small trees and removes hummocks.

However, it is beneficial to use brush cutters in cases where the swamp is overgrown not only with bushes, but also with small forests. If the bush does not have small forests, it is simply plowed deep into the ground. This work is performed by a unit for plowing bushes. Such a hydraulically controlled unit, driven by a tractor, consists of two parts: a hollow drum and a ski with a knife are hung in front of the tractor, and a plow body is hung behind it. The drum, rotating, tilts the bush forward and presses it to the soil surface; the knife cuts the layer with rhizomes in a vertical plane, and the plow body wraps the layer and plows the shrubs to a depth of 20 to 50 cm.

Uprooting stumps and removing wood debris is one of the most difficult work in the process of developing drained swamps. Stumps are uprooted by the direct pull of a tractor with hooks on chains or cables, or with a rooter, or with a powerful bulldozer that turns out huge stumps, or with a uprooter-collector.

After clearing the drained area of ​​bushes, stumps, hummocks and woody debris, it begins to be prepared for agricultural use. It includes three processes: plowing, cutting and rolling.

Plowing of peat soils in a drained swamp should be deep, with complete coverage of the surface vegetation cover. For this purpose, special swamp plows with a wide grip are used, which plow the ground to a depth of 50 cm, while wrapping the layer and embedding all vegetation deep into the soil.

The layer of earth wrapped by the plow must then be loosened to the greatest possible depth so that oxygen can freely penetrate into the soil. Loosen the layer disc harrows or special milling machines.

Then the surface of the drained swamp is rolled - leveled with special swamp loading rollers.

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Instructions

Refuse the temptation to use the simplest, cheapest, but at the same time incorrect method, namely, filling the swamp with sand or other type of soil. The swamp is a very stable landscape system, which you will ultimately not be able to cope with in such a straightforward way.

Consider and implement a device in a wetland drainage system. The most common types of drainage are sheet and slot. It is possible that in order to effectively drain the swamp you will need to resort to consultation and practical help specialists. In the long run, draining a wetland will be cheaper than the useless and pointless labor-intensive work of backfilling and bailing out water.

In the simplest case, to drain swamp water in different areas of the wetland, dig a closed system of trenches sloping in one direction. Fill the bottom of the trenches with crushed stone, and then lay them in drainage pipes with holes for collecting water.

If you still cannot destroy the swamp, try an intermediate, compromise solution. Often such decisions aimed at finding the “golden mean” are the wisest. Two acceptable and most simple options– dig a pond and plant trees.

Set up a decorative pond in a wetland. In accordance with the laws of physics, all the swamp moisture will collect in the reservoir, gradually evaporating. Not everyone knows that the estate French kings in Versailles is located in an originally marshy area. In order to correct such a natural defect, the Cross Canal was dug at one time.

Consider planting trees in the wetland. Trees such as willow or birch very actively evaporate moisture through their leaves. If you pay attention to birch trees that grow in swampy areas, you will see that there is almost always a dry patch of land around this tree. If you plant a birch tree in a fairly dry area, you will find that nothing else will grow under it, since the birch actively sucks water from the soil.

Sources:

• How to improve a wetland

A garden in a swamp requires increased attention from its owner, and many lovers of country life, of course, are afraid to purchase such plots. But wetlands can also be turned into luxurious gardens, you just need to be patient and do everything according to certain rules.

Despite all the apparent unsightliness of wetlands, there are advantages here. For example, during a long drought in low-lying areas it turns out to be somewhat cooler, and the soil does not dry out. In addition, the soil here often contains peat, which is preferred by different plants.

First of all, it is necessary to think over and lay a drainage system around the site. The lowest places can be left without drainage. In this case, such a place is suitable for arranging a natural or artificial reservoir.

Typically, a drainage system consists of channels through which water will flow and a reservoir where this water will accumulate. You can lay pipes in dug channels, or you can do without them. The development of a drainage system should be approached very carefully, given that in the spring the water level rises, and in the summer, especially during the dry period, it can drop sharply. All this will affect the plants.

If you plan to place a lawn on a wetland, then you must first drain the soil and also equip an additional reservoir for storing water. Usually it is done in the center of the lawn. Such a tank can be made in the form of a decorative pond. This technique will add romance to the garden.

From ornamental plants In wetlands, willows, viburnum, calamus, cattails or reeds, elderberries and many others will come in handy. Even herbaceous plants can be posted here. To do this, you need to slightly raise the soil and improve its structure. Soil with high acidity, such as occurs in swamps, is suitable for many ornamental plants. These are rhododendrons, hydrangea, heathers, chaenomeles and others. From berry bushes Blueberries and blueberries will grow beautifully here.

Of course, it will take more than one year to arrange a garden in a wetland, but the result will be very worthy.

Waterlogged soil on a site is a problem for its owners. When purchasing a plot, excess moisture can be determined by the presence of reeds, sedges, and rush grass. Subsequently, owners are faced with unpleasant fumes, mosquitoes, poor growth garden plants. Plants disappear due to insufficient oxygen access to the roots, their rotting, and exposure to toxic products (nitrates, acids, aluminum salts) formed in swampy soil.

It is expensive to build a house on waterlogged land. We have to build a deep pile foundation.

All these troubles can be eliminated by draining the area. There is a solution to the problem, and you can try to get rid of excess moisture yourself. The key to success in this case is understanding the nature of the swampy area.

Different situations - different solutions

Determining the cause of the formation of a swamp is sometimes difficult even for a specialist. In this situation, it is important to familiarize yourself with the surroundings and inspect the lands of your neighbors. Excessive soil moisture usually has two main reasons:

1. The placement of the allotment in a low-lying reservoir, which leads to the location of groundwater quite close to the surface. This reason is rarely confirmed, since few people deliberately decide to purchase land in a swamp.
2. Disruption of natural water flow as a result of heavy rains. This problem is associated with several factors - the location of the site below neighboring ones (water after rains constantly flows to it), the location of a layer of viscous clay close to the surface, or the presence of a source feeding the swamp.

Each specific case has its own solution to the problem, tested by more than one generation of farmers. An analysis of the situation on the site will allow you to decide which drainage method to use.

High groundwater level

Remove superficially located groundwater(“overwater”) will allow drainage closed type, performed at a sufficient depth. Such drainage is installed along the perimeter of the site, as well as throughout its entire territory. In case of abundant water, when drainage into the deep layers of the soil does not lead to results, a drainage well and a pump are needed that can constantly pump out water and divert it outside the territory.

Clay soil

Soil with a high clay content does not allow moisture to pass through easily, and the soil remains damp for a long time after rain and melting snow. If the land plot is located at an angle, the inflow water is coming from the surface of the earth located above. Optimal solution in such a situation - the use of backfill and open ditches to accumulate and drain moisture deep into the ground.

The organization of closed drainage is not so effective, and the formation of a filtration layer to the surface of the earth is not always justified.

swampy area

The optimal, but very expensive solution is to raise the ground level and create a drainage ditch along the perimeter. Before draining a site, it is important to consider plans for the use of the area and determine the depth of drainage. If the area is seasonally swamped, you can dig a ditch in the lowest part of the site. In addition to it, it is necessary to perform open drainage channels, often located throughout the territory. The sloping area should be protected from sliding of the earth with plants or geomats.

Location of the allotment in the lowland

You can deal with waterlogging using a pump and drainage well. If this is appropriate and possible, the problem will be solved by a pond in the lowest part of the plot and closed drainage throughout its entire area. Drainage must be carried out to a state in which the foundations of buildings will not be destroyed, and plants will be able to develop.

Learn more about drying methods

A plot of land can be drained in different ways reclamation. Before choosing the right one, you should consider the following factors:

• waterproofness of the soil, its composition;
• direction and level of groundwater;
• buildings in the garden;
• the height to which the groundwater level needs to be lowered.

The delivery of fresh fertile soil will allow the surface level of the plot to be raised. If the ground is plowed, it will mix with viscous and dense swampy soil, and it will be possible to grow crops in the garden. Lands cultivated in this way do not require fertilizers for several years. However, the swamp is a stable ecosystem, so it is possible that it will return to its original form over time.

Adding sand

If you add sand in equal proportions to the soil of the site, the quality of the soil improves and air exchange increases. With additional humus, it is possible to cultivate vegetables, berries, and herbs on the ground. Adding sand to waterlogged soil creates more effective ways reclamation. The method is effective in itself if applied on clay soils with a slight excess of surface water.

Drainage

Arrangement of the drainage system is the most effective way divert surface water to long time. To create it, plastic pipes with small diameter holes in the walls are used. It is first necessary to wrap the pipes with holes in geotextile in 1-3 layers, depending on the size of the soil particles. They are placed in pre-prepared channels to the following depth:

• for clay soils – 65-75cm;
• for loams - by 70-90cm;
• for sandy areas - up to 1 m.

Open and closed ditches

Open drainage ditches will remove excess water from the soil surface. They are made with edges beveled at an angle of 20 degrees. The disadvantage of this method is rapid shedding, contamination of the outflow with leaves, debris, and stagnation of water. Such drainage structures should be cleaned regularly with a shovel. Open drainage ditches are not used in areas with sandy soil because the sand is quickly washed away and drainage becomes ineffective. It is convenient to place an open drainage ditch in an area along the fence, where it does not disturb anyone.

Closed drainage ditches are deeply dug trenches covered with a layer of sand and disguised as garden paths. They have an aesthetic appearance, the soil in them does not collapse, and the water inside does not bloom.

For the system to function properly, the dug trenches are led into a well or dug down to a layer of sand that will absorb moisture. If the channels become clogged, it will be difficult to clean with soil.

Raised beds

When planning to cultivate herbs, vegetables, and strawberries, owners of waterlogged plots build high beds. Excess moisture collects between the beds, and areas of land with crops become drier. With the right approach, it is possible to grow crops even in areas with excess water. Photos of vegetable gardens in Holland, surrounded by a network of canals, convince us of this. Such conditions allow you to grow anything you want.

Digging a pond or well

A decorative pond will collect excess moisture and allow it to gradually evaporate. At the same time, the garden area will become noticeably drier, and the pond itself will decorate the landscape. The effectiveness of this method convinces clear example– The Cross Canal, built for the same purposes in the park of Versailles.

Wells are as efficient as ditches. To create them, holes are dug at the lowest points of the site and filled with crushed stone or sand. Their diameter at the bottom is half a meter, at the top – two meters, and their length is about a meter. After rain or snow melts, excess moisture gradually drains into them.

Planting moisture-loving trees

Moisture-loving trees help relieve a waterlogged garden from excess water. Weeping willows, alders and birches thrive here. Such trees evaporate excess liquid through the leaves. Willows and birches dry out the wetlands, but sufficient drying will take several years. You can also cultivate cranberries, blueberries, and viburnum. When the area becomes drier, you should move on to growing your favorite plants.

Typically, reeds and sedges grow in wetlands. To combat them, you should drain the area in a suitable way, for example, by draining excess moisture into a nearby stream. These plants have a powerful root system, and only by removing it can you avoid new growth for a certain time. To do this, you will have to dig deep holes with your own hands, remove every root, and lay roofing material at the bottom of the holes. Bulrush seeds spread well and if the ground remains wet the problem will return.

Extreme measures

If none of the listed methods of reclamation gave desired result, or you don’t want to wait, you can invite specialists. Powerful pumps they will quickly pump out unnecessary moisture, and the effect will be visible within 24 hours. However this expensive service, and the waterlogging problem may return over time.

When you fail to win in the struggle for dry soil, you can come to terms with and overcome the excessive moisture of the soil. To do this, you can arrange a pond, surrounding it with plants that require moisture.

Blueberries, viburnum, cranberries, marsh iris, mint, buttercups, thuja, and heather grow well in humid conditions. A good addition would be maiden grapes, lush ferns, callas, and some varieties of orchid plants.