Support by the Lake Baikal Foundation, the Limnological Institute of the SB RAS will conduct a sanitary and microbiological assessment of the water quality of Lake Baikal. Samplings of the water will be taken in the mouths of rivers flowing into Lake Baikal in coastal areas, including tourist and recreational zones and near settlements and tourist centers, as well as in pelagic lakes standardized indicators SanPiN 2.1.5.980-00 within the framework of an accredited laboratory (certificate No. RA.RU.21KB02). The sum of the grant allocated by the Foundation for the implementation of the project is 500,000 rubles. The results of the study will help scientists to make a conclusion about the availability and quantity of sanitary-indicative microorganisms in Lake Baikal, as well as the diversity of conditionally pathogenic bacteria in the pelagic and littoral of the lake.
According to sociological survey conducted in February 2018 by the Lake Baikal Foundation and the NAFI Analytical Center, the population of the Baikal region thinks that the most damaging problems worsening the ecology of Lake Baikal are the pollution of the lake by sewage and the debris of the territory by tourists. What actually happens with water in areas of man-caused pressure of Baikal? What measures need to be taken to improve the situation? The research of the Limnological Institute of the SB RAS is supposed to answer these questions.
Based on the obtained results, databases and maps showing the presence of opportunistic and pathogenic microorganisms in Lake Baikal with an assessment of the hazard status will be prepared. The data will be published in scientific publications, media, as well as submitted to the relevant environmental structures so that they can take appropriate measures.
A detailed description of the project can be found under the link.
Photo: Ilya Sakulin