A lot of people came to the rally to speak up for Lake Baikal
despite the almost complete lack of information that such an event
had been organized in Irkutsk, as well as the frosty Siberian
weather. Those who came over heard speeches of local
environmentalists and members of parliament, people from Baikalsk
and the neighboring Republic of Buryatia, scientists and
politicians from various Russian cities including Moscow.
Those participants, who had not signed the petition to protect
Lake Baikal to President Medvedev before, got a chance to do that
at the rally where the organizers unrolled special information
boards. Addresses from the tribune enjoyed very emotional feedback
from the people who despite the cold weather stayed till the very
end of the event.
Speaking about political, economic, environmental and social
problems of Baikalsk, all expressed the common opinion that "the
authorities should be responsible before people and the law!"
Re-launch of the Baikalsk PPM, let alone again with discharges into
Lake Baikal, indicates that those in power have forgotten about
civil responsibility and focused only on momentary business
interests of the mill's owners. This is the only evident reason why
Premier Putin ever signed Resolution No.1 that not only permitted
wastewater discharges into Lake Baikal, but also disposal and
incineration of waste of all hazard classes on the shores of the
cleanest lake on Earth.
That is why the main idea of the rally's resolution became the
demand to President Medvedev to "show his political will and go
down in history as a savior of Lake Baikal rather than an
indifferent destroyer". Instead of wasting funds on "reanimation of
the corpse of the BPPM", the rally participants demanded a social
support of the people of Baikalsk, measures to create new and
alternative jobs, provide small and medium-sized business with tax
exemptions, as well as launch an anti-corruption evaluation of
Putin's ill-fated resolution and call it off after all. "We call
upon all Russian people and international community to join forces
in protecting Lake Baikal and people of Baikalsk. Protecting our
Baikal, we are aiming to not only make our lives better, but also
help make a better future for our kids and revive the whole
planet", the rally resolution declares.
Almost at the same time Irkutsk saw another meeting. It was one
of proponents of the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill. However,
significantly fewer people attended that one.
"From the very first glance it was clear that this shameful
event was staged way before. Groups of people in custom-made
jackets, a whole fence of party flags and hand banners drawn in the
same handwriting… Behind the Governor's back I saw a folk band and
steaming bawls of tea. A major part of people were forced to come
here and some of them asked not to make pictures of them because
they would not want to face their friends after that, says Eugeny
Usov, a spokesman for Greenpeace Russia who visited both meetings.
"People who came to the "Protect Baikal!" rally came at their own
will, driven by their own ideas. There were not many banners, but
those I saw, only underlined the unofficial character of the
rally".
"What happens to Baikalsk to a great extent depends on what
happens to the lake because it's Lake Baikal that provides people
with stability and opportunities to develop alternative and, for
instance, tourism industry", adds Roman Vazhenkov, Lake Baikal
Program Coordinator of Greenpeace Russia. "Contract rallies, I
guess, help local authorities in reporting to their masters in
Rusal, but we all have to understand that main idea: launching the
Baikalsk PPM and permitting toxic discharges into the lake, puts an
end to all plans of future development of Baikalsk. It's a dead-end
both in terms of economics and social development. Unlike the
timeservers in the authorities of all levels, we cannot afford such
an irresponsible attitude towards this particular town of Baikalsk
and to the whole planet in general".
For additional information, please, contact Greenpeace Russia at
+7 (495) 988 7460