Experts have identified the conditions for preserving the Western substeppe ilmenites in the Astrakhan region.

The degradation of the Western Substeppe Ilmen ecosystem is seriously impairing the quality of life for local residents and threatening the ecology of the entire region. Addressing the problem requires a systematic approach and significant resources, but authorities are ignoring its importance and severity.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the Western Substeppe Ilmens, where commercial and valuable fish species spawn, are rapidly drying up, in part due to economic activity. In October, activists appealed to the governor of the Astrakhan region, demanding that these areas be designated spawning grounds. The initiators of the appeal reported numerous and egregious instances of mass fish deaths in the ilmens of the Astrakhan region. They suggest the disaster is caused by a lack of sufficient water levels. Copies of the appeal were sent to the President of the Russian Federation, State Duma deputies, and relevant ministries and agencies.

The Western Substeppe Ilmens (WSI) region in the Volga River Delta is located west of the delta's main watercourse, the Volga River, and its continuation, the Bakhtemir Branch. Administratively, the WSI belongs to the Narimanov, Limansky, and Ikryaninsky districts of the Astrakhan Region. The Ilmen system consists of 150 freshwater and saltwater lakes. They are located west of the main part of the delta, in the lowlands amidst the "Baer hillocks." In the spring, these lowlands (covering an area of 500,000 hectares) fill with water, the surface of which quickly warms in the sun, and fish flock here to spawn. Before the completion of the Volga hydroelectric cascade (1959), up to 120,000 people lived here. The main settlements are located along the Ilmens, which have been used since ancient times for fishing, agriculture, and salt production, notes Professor Pyotr Bukharitsin, head of the Astrakhan branch of the Russian Geographical Society.

"Fish mortality is occurring due to disruption of the ilmeni and eriks ecosystems (...) All of this causes significant environmental damage and threatens the preservation of the environment. The causes of this phenomenon may be related to possible violations of water use, as well as non-compliance with legislation regarding natural resource regulation," the appeal states.

The collective appeal states that a comprehensive study of the Western Substeppe Ilmeni (WSI) was conducted only once – by the Astrakhan Ichthyological Laboratory under the Caspian-Volga Fish and Seal Fisheries Directorate from 1897 to 1913. Based on the research results, in 1916, Tsar Nicholas II banned all economic activity within the WSI that impeded water flow and fish migration to spawning grounds. This ban, according to the initiators of the appeal, was strictly enforced until 1953. Until this year, the ZPI, with its unique natural location, "were the most productive spawning grounds on the planet, producing over 90% of all small-bodied fish from the headwaters of the Volga and Kama rivers to the mouth of the Volga River in the Caspian Sea." The authors of the appeal believe that the optimal flood season in the Volga Delta and the ZPI should be set between April 10 and May 25, lasting at least 45 days. This, they argue, "meets all the key parameters necessary for ideal spawning." The appeal also outlines the key steps for solving the problem. Specifically, it proposes "clearing portions of the ilmen riverbeds, channels, and eriks of the remains of earthen dams and embankments of the drainage system before the spring flood, and mowing down thickets of tall, tough vegetation along all riverbeds up to the transport infrastructure." Next, it is necessary to "reclaim dry ponds to which water access is blocked, remove all pond farms from the ZPI, and construct, in place of the destroyed natural fords, overflow dams restricting water outflow from the ZPI along the shoreline marks that existed before 1959, adjusted for the current situation." Finally, bridges must be built on highways across all rivers and channels used by fish migration routes to spawn, "in accordance with the cross-section of the channels." Gas pipelines laid across the dams' waterways are proposed to either be laid along the bottom of the reservoirs or be constructed as overhead crossings. At the legislative level, the authors of the appeal recommend "reforming the Meliovodkhoz system, separating it from the ilmenite reservoirs," and developing a project to supply agricultural producers with water through large-diameter closed water pipelines. "Currently, there is a real opportunity to restore most of the ZPI and, thanks to their irreplaceable natural resources, make them the driving force of the Astrakhan economy. The main benefits of restoring the ZPI territory are a healthy environment and a reduction in disease rates, especially a reduction in cancer," the authors concluded. They went on to list other benefits of their project: a large number of reservoirs with exceptionally clean water will be created, creating conditions for the restoration of the unique ecosystem and attracting tourists; fish stocks and quotas for industrial and recreational fishing will increase manifold, leading to increased sales of related light industry products; pastures and hayfields will be created, creating favorable conditions for the development of livestock farming. The authors of the appeal insisted on an urgent roundtable discussion on the restoration of the ZPI water system.

For a long time, the Astrakhan Meliovodkhoz Department conducted water flow studies in waterways, Professor Petr Bukharitsin, co-author of the collective appeal and leading researcher at the Institute of Water Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences and head of the Astrakhan branch of the Russian Geographical Society, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. However, according to the scientist, in recent years, water flow in irrigation systems has not been instrumentally measured, but rather calculated only "based on energy consumption and pumping station performance," which, according to Bukharitsin, is clearly insufficient. The professor insists that the main factor in the problem stated in the appeal "is the regulation of the Volga flow and, as a result, the change in its intra-annual distribution."

"It should be noted that many of the marginal ilmeni have not received water for several years in a row, which leads to their salinization and complete drying up. Before regulation, the main source of floodwater in the ZPI system was runoff along natural streams branching off from the main river channel and sheet runoff. After the construction of roads, embankments, and dams along the main river channel and at the mouths of the streams feeding the ilmeni, sheet runoff ceased completely, and water entered the streams only in very limited quantities - through pipes or through numerous earthen dams that collapsed during the flood period," explained Petr Bukharitsin.

The expert cited another reason for the decrease in water inflow into the ZPI - shallowing and Siltation of the sources of the main watercourses feeding the ilmeni. "These factors necessitated the forced pumping of water into the ZPI throughout the summer months. But the most detrimental factor for the ZPI was the conversion of many ilmeni from valuable fishery water bodies to agricultural land in the 1990s, and their long-term lease to private owners for farmland and pond farms. Current owners shut off the water flow at the inlet and outlet of "their" reservoir, condemning the ilmeni located further downstream to drying up," Bukharitsin stated.

The scientist cited specific examples of such violations and also provided a detailed assessment of the current state of water supply in the ZPI region since the 1940s. He cited facts from the database of the regional "Service for Nature Management and Environmental Protection": for example, the owners of more than two hundred hydraulic structures have still not been identified. The water in ilmens is unsuitable for use, as its mineralization is very high. At the same time, the scientist lamented the fact that there is still no unified strategy for restoring the ZPI.

"Some of them are used as reservoirs and waterways; in some places, irrigation canals are built along the ilmenite beds, and they are used for commercial fish farming, while some ilmenites have been converted to agricultural land. Those ilmenites that are opened to allow water to pass through during flood periods are, for the most part, unable to allow sufficient water and fish to reach their spawning grounds, since the dams are not completely removed, and the channels of the eriks and channels, and some of the ilmenites themselves, are overgrown with reeds," Bukharitsin asserts, emphasizing the problem of widespread swamping of the ilmenites and the overgrowth of marsh vegetation.

Efforts to address this problem, carried out by the regional government, are underfunded and are carried out haphazardly. According to Bukharitsin, the measures taken by regulatory authorities are also ineffective: the scientist recalled that "the ilmeni began to dry up especially quickly when they began to be converted into pond farms."

"The current alarming situation requires a radical reconsideration of the approach to the ZPI. Opponents need to openly and honestly present and discuss their positions, weigh the pros and cons, and finally restore the ZPI to its former glory as the main spawning grounds of the lower Volga. Large-scale measures are necessary to achieve the ultimate goal," concluded Pyotr Bukharitsin.

The Ministry of Agriculture has not detected any mass fish deaths

Professor Bukharitsin provided a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent with the authorities' first response to the collective appeal. The response from the regional Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (letter No. 108-05-02-15/15/58OG, a copy is available to the editorial staff) was sent on November 18. Minister Sergei Yeskov informed the authors of the collective letter that melons and gourds have recently been grown in ponds in the Ikryaninsky and Limansky districts on an area of approximately 2,000 hectares, increasing farmers' profitability and producing approximately 80,000 tons of agricultural produce.

"In the ZPI, pasture-based aquaculture is carried out primarily in the end sections, which does not entail negative consequences. Over the period 2020-2024, pasture-based aquaculture accounted for 28% of the total volume of commercial aquaculture produced," the minister's letter stated.

The official also attributes the low reproduction of semi-anadromous and freshwater fish in the lower Volga to the low water volume during spring floods. He asserts that a "favorable water regime" could improve the situation. The regional minister also claims that KaspNIRKh employees have not detected any mass fish kills in the area under his jurisdiction. The official assured the advocacy group that the regional department of land reclamation and agricultural water supply is carrying out all necessary work in the ZPI zone: it has constructed six irrigation and water supply systems, is mowing reeds, and is clearing problematic sections of canals. However, water supply issues for ZPI water bodies are not included in this department's state assignment, although it has the capacity and only requires funding. However, according to the minister, recently, water pumping for the irrigation of depleted water bodies in the ZPI zone has been carried out by agreement with the regional Service for Nature Management and Environmental Protection, and state contracts have been signed for this purpose. The minister thanked the authors of the petition for their "active civic stance" and noted that organizing the roundtable requested by the activists requires approval from all relevant agencies.

"The regional leadership will do nothing of the sort."

Global warming is the cause of the Volga's reduced flow and its intensity during flood periods. "As a result, water simply doesn't reach the ilmeni," noted former State Duma and Astrakhan Regional Duma deputy Oleg Shein*. According to the politician, a system of artificially pumping water into the ilmeni system via pumping stations exists to compensate, "which is important not only for the fish but also for the 40,000 people who live here and have no other water sources."

"However, the regional government purchases energy for these pumping stations unevenly, and every year, people record a video appeal in a rush to help," Oleg Shein* explained to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He also listed the man-made challenges that have exacerbated the problems of the ZPI: for example, part of the ilmeni have been converted to pond fish farming, and to prevent the fry from escaping, a private entrepreneur dams them—correspondingly, cutting off water flow to other ilmeni located further from the Volga. During the construction of bridge crossings, adequate drainage areas were not provided: in some cases, dams, not bridges, were built, and the culverts beneath them, as well as the underpasses, are clogged, silted, and impede water flow. Water flow is also hampered by reed beds that are not systematically mown. Shein* believes that an official registry of ilmens with a description of their geodetic parameters should be created. According to him, such work began before 2022, but he has no information on its completion. It is also necessary to monitor the water flow of private entrepreneurs who leased individual ilmens for pond fish farming, and to terminate leases if they block water flow. Furthermore, ilmens need to be separated from numerous abandoned dams, culverts need to be cleared, replaced with larger-diameter pipes if necessary, and passages under bridges need to be deepened. Shein* also noted that reed cutters should be purchased, workers hired, and the reed thickets systematically cleared. Furthermore, funding for energy purchases for pumping stations must be increased and paid for in advance, no later than the second quarter. "It is absolutely clear that the current regional leadership, which views Astrakhan as a place of hated exile, will do none of this," stated Oleg Shein*.

The politician provided a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent with a letter from Volzhsky Interdistrict Environmental Prosecutor Selivanov, sent in response to his parliamentary inquiry in November 2018 (document No. 7-427-2018/2490 is in the possession of "Caucasian Knot"). In it, the head of the supervisory agency reported that, following Shein*'s appeal, an inspection of "legislation compliance with the use of the ZPI" was conducted. It revealed that regional authorities are making efforts to address the problem of low ilmenite flow: regulating sluice gates are being built and court decisions on claims filed by the environmental prosecutor's office are being implemented. Selivanov also informed Deputy Shein* that measures to rehabilitate more than 30 water bodies and to design and construct 17 water-regulating hydraulic structures in the ZPI zone are included in the priority project "Preservation and Pollution Prevention of the Volga River" (part of the national project "Ecology"). The environmental prosecutor also reported on the violations of the law that have been identified: for example, the agency seized a water body, Khabata Bay in the Limansky District, from its lessee. The prosecutor's office has initiated a criminal case regarding the illegal extraction of salt at the Donskoye salt lake. Selivanov stated that he shares the opinion of Deputy Oleg Shein* regarding the need to create a unified management system for the ZPI. The interdistrict environmental prosecutor's office has sent relevant information to the regional Service for Nature Management and Environmental Protection.

Astrakhan political scientist Mikhail Doliev* listened attentively to the latest appeal from environmental activists to Governor Babushkin regarding the environmental disaster in the ZPI. He noted that several other petitions from previous years on this matter, addressed to Putin, exist on social media.

"In the latest appeal, people are asking for these territories to be designated as 'spawning grounds,' but such a status doesn't exist in Russian law. There are so-called specially protected natural areas (SPNAs). Typically, such areas include nature reserves, national parks, and so on. Imagine how happy Russian oil and gas corporations, actively producing and exploring in the northern Caspian, will be if the territory of the Astrakhan Nature Reserve is expanded," Doliev* told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The political scientist believes that assigning any status to the Western Substeppe Ilmens will not achieve anything in itself. He recalled that five years ago, Governor Babushkin promised to designate the Astrakhan Region "the status of a strategically significant territory." "Today, no one remembers that such a thing ever happened. Also, in Astrakhan, thousands of houses are designated cultural heritage sites, but that doesn't save the structures from destruction," Doliev* stated.

He attributes the shallowing of the ZPI primarily to climate change and human activity. "The Caspian Sea is retreating because the Volga is reducing the amount of water it brings. The Volga is also getting shallower because snowfall in the upper reaches of the river has decreased, and winters have become shorter and warmer. One of the reasons why water isn't flowing into the ilmeni is the constant deepening of the Volga-Caspian Canal, which today has military-strategic significance—it carries supply routes from Iran," Doliev noted*.

The political scientist noted that media in Tatarstan and other Upper Volga regions are decrying that "more water was released to please the people of Astrakhan, and their reservoirs are now empty," while Astrakhan and Volgograd residents continue to demand larger volumes of water. He believes that resolving the conflict requires developing a scientific program and a set of measures for what to do with the Volga and its cascade of reservoirs going forward. Furthermore, in his opinion, special hydraulic structures need to be built in the ZPI area "to prevent water from receding as quickly as it does today." This, according to Doliev*, requires scientific research, calculations, approvals, public debate, and, most importantly, societal oversight.

"Even in ancient Asian civilizations, people united into communities and states to build irrigation and drainage structures. In Russia, they've relied solely on militarization. Billions of rubles are needed to build hydraulic structures for the ZPI, and today they're only available for military spending," lamented Doliev*.

He also cited the experience of building flood protection dams in the Netherlands: according to Doliev*, the government and designers there "were very attentive to the concerns of fishermen and environmentalists that the dams would block the spawning grounds of Dutch herring." "After which the project was seriously reworked, without saving any money. But under Putin's regime, this appeal will achieve nothing," concluded Mikhail Doliev*.

* are listed as foreign agents.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.