Residents of a Dagestani village said their appeals to authorities were unsuccessful.

Villages from Gulli, Kaytag District, protesting the construction of a plant near the Artezan River, wrote appeals to the head of Dagestan and regulatory authorities, but received either no responses or formal replies stating no violations were found. A lawyer recommended going to court.

As reported by "Kavkazsky Uzel," villagers in the Dagestani village of Gulli claim that the plant has contaminated the rivers and caused a white coating to appear on the trees. The district administration confirmed that the permit for the plant's construction was legally issued. The head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, has taken control of information about an enterprise built near the Artuzen River in Dagestan, which is polluting the air and water.

The plant discharges its waste directly into the river below; a white film has formed on all the plants, local resident Ruslan told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"People get water from a spring located next to the river. The river becomes dirty when the plant discharges, and we're afraid the spring is already contaminated," he said.

Magomed Gadzhialiev, a resident of the village of Gulli, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that no public hearings with residents were held during the plant's construction.

"When the assistant to the head of the republic, representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the prosecutor's office visited us, I personally raised this issue. The former head of the village of Gulli said that discussions with the people were held, although the residents denied this. Then a representative from the prosecutor's office asked: "Do you have any documentation proving public hearings were held?" The plant director admitted that there were no public hearings," says Gadzhialiev.

He explained that the plant is located on a hill, about 20 meters from the river. "So, the wind blows from the plant toward the village, and the waste from the hill flows into the river," Magomed explained.

He added that residents had previously complained to many authorities, including the head of Dagestan and regulatory agencies, but either there were no responses or they received formal replies stating that no violations were found.

"I received an email from the Ministry of Natural Resources stating that they had taken samples before the plant and no contamination was found afterward." "Although we have a contrary expert opinion, which we commissioned from an independent organization," says Magomed Gadzhialiev.

According to him, the land for the plant's construction was illegally acquired from forestry land and converted to industrial use.

Gadzhialiev confirmed that residents intend to pursue the plant's closure through the courts. This issue is currently being discussed with lawyers.

Village resident Magomed Kerimov confirmed that no public hearings with residents regarding the construction of the plant were held.

"There were probably fictitious hearings; even the names of the people supposedly present were misspelled in the minutes," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He said that the plant was built on the road that led from Gulli to other settlements, and now people have to take a detour.

"According to water protection legislation, such plants must be built at least 100 meters from the river, but we don't even have 10 meters," Kerimov said.

Agencies found violations in the plant's operation.

Ministry of Natural Resources of Dagestan On March 17, 2025, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Dagestan published a report on the results of a water sample analysis from the Artuzen River on its website. According to the ministry, both water and air quality in the Gulli River comply with standards.

On April 4, 2025, the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic of Dagestan conducted an additional investigation into violations of environmental legislation by the lime plant, Gulli LLC, and waste discharge into the Artuzen River in the Kaitag District, the ministry reported on its Telegram channel.

"A follow-up on-site inspection was conducted with the involvement of specialists from the Center for Laboratory Analysis and Technical Measurements. Natural water samples were collected for laboratory analysis, measurements, and testing before and after the plant. The results of the study showed that the pollutant content in the waters remained unchanged. To more fully and comprehensively examine the matter, the Ministry requested information on the operations of the Gulli lime plant from the North Caucasus Interregional Office of Rosprirodnadzor, the Rospotrebnadzor Office for the Republic of Dagestan, and the administration of the Kaitagsky Municipal District. According to the information received, the plant is operating in violation of a number of established norms and requirements. It was established that the design capacity of this lime plant is 50 tons per day or more (a Category I facility). According to the Federal Law "On Environmental Protection," such facilities are subject to federal state environmental control (supervision). The collected material has been sent to the relevant competent authorities," the publication states.

On June 11, 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Trade published information on its Telegram channel that the enterprise was registered in 2016 as a microenterprise. The company holds a license from the Republic of Dagestan's Ministry of Natural Resources for limestone exploration and extraction.

"The main activity is the extraction of decorative and building stone, limestone, gypsum, chalk, and shale. Production development is planned for limestone extraction; its firing and crushing to a powder state, and the use of water in the technological cycle are not envisaged. The current activity is limestone extraction as a raw material for construction materials plants," the republic's Ministry of Industry and Trade reported.

Representatives of the Kaitag District administration were unavailable for comment. In a report on the plant's situation published by Izvestia journalist Murad Magomedov, an administration representative stated on camera that the company has all the necessary permits.

According to the facility's passport, construction is underway on a "Plant for the Production of Lime and Micropowders." The contractors are Salam LLC and individual entrepreneur M.A. Sheikhov. Caucasian Knot was unable to obtain a position from company representatives on this situation.

Mirzamagomed Sheikhov is also the general director of Gulli LLC. Gulli LLC's authorized capital is 10,000 rubles, according to the counterparty verification website Ruspofile.

A lawyer recommended contacting supervisory authorities and the court.

Lawyer Ali Aliyev told a Caucasian Knot correspondent that, according to SanPiN 1.2.3685-21 "Hygienic Standards and Requirements for Ensuring the Safety and (or) Harmlessness of Environmental Factors for Humans," sanitary protection zones are established depending on the enterprise's hazard class. For Class I hazard objects (the most hazardous), they can be 1,000 meters or more, and for Class V, 50 meters. The exact size is determined by the project and approved by Rospotrebnadzor.

According to the Water Code of the Russian Federation, water protection zones are established to protect bodies of water. The width of these zones varies for seas, rivers, and lakes: for example, for a sea, it is 500 meters, while for a river over 50 km long, it is up to 200 meters. Residents should contact regulatory authorities—Rosprirodnadzor, Rospotrebnadzor, or the prosecutor's office—to protect their rights, the lawyer noted.

"If all pre-trial remedies have been exhausted, officials' inaction or issued permits can be appealed in court," he said.

Ecologist Magomed Aliyev told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that state environmental impact assessments are mandatory for facilities that have a significant impact on the environment. Public discussions and hearings are also a mandatory part of the environmental impact assessment procedure for the construction of hazardous facilities.