Belarus is among the world leaders in terms of the proportion of deaths due to polluted air. At the same time, we are far from the first place in terms of emissions. Olga Krukovskaya, a researcher at the Laboratory of Transboundary Pollution at the Institute of Environmental Management of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, told TUT.BY about what we breathe and how it affects health. She is convinced that air quality data can be taken into account in your life in the same way as a weather forecast.
The more pollution, the higher the chance of getting sick.
According to the WHO, Belarus ranks third in the world in terms of relative mortality from diseases caused by air pollution. In our country, due to such diseases, for example, in 2012 died 100 people per 100 thousand population.
Experts associate deaths from stroke, lung cancer, and cardiovascular diseases with air pollution. Pollution also increases the risk of acute respiratory infections.
“For almost all air pollutants, there are a number of proven long-term effects,” says Olga. - There is also a carcinogenic effect, mutagenic, effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
There are groups of people who are particularly sensitive to increased air pollution. These are people with respiratory diseases, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, the elderly and children. Elevated concentrations to which pregnant women are exposed have been shown in scientific studies to affect the incidence of asthma in unborn children.
Not all people who breathe polluted air get sick. However, over time, the likelihood of disease accumulates.
- If we are talking about a carcinogenic effect, the disease may or may not appear. But the longer you are exposed to harmful effects, the greater the excess of various substances, the greater the likelihood.
It's the same with asthma and other diseases. A person with good health will be less affected by polluted air. On the other hand, if some process already exists, it can accelerate and give chronic diseases of the respiratory system.
What do we breathe
Usually, experts control the content of 6 main substances in the air: particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, phenol and ammonia. Some cities monitor specific substances.
All these substances affect health in one way or another. A threshold concept has now been adopted: we believe that substances are safe up to a certain concentration and harmful above a certain threshold.
When talking about the impact on human health, ground-level ozone and particulate matter are considered first.
Solid particles It's mostly dust. Measure the total number of particles and their mass. Separately, large and small particles are taken into account - with a diameter of less than 10 and less than 2.5 micrometers. Particulate matter of different composition and size enters the air from different sources. Large particulate matter in the air, for example, comes from construction work, road wear and tire wear. Fine particulate matter is a product of the combustion of wood, coal or other fossil fuels, as well as the result of industrial processes.
Ozone(O 3) is formed in the atmosphere as a result of photochemical reactions in the presence of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds.
“There are not so many processes during which ozone is released into the air,” the specialist notes. - For example, this happens during photocopying. This is negligible across the country. However, we have problems with air pollution from this substance.
carbon monoxide(CO, carbon monoxide) is formed as a result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels with a lack of oxygen and low temperature. Reduces maximum physical performance, and also negatively affects people with cardiovascular diseases.
nitrogen dioxide(NO 2) is formed in combustion processes - during heating, power generation, engine operation. Its high concentrations in the atmosphere are associated with a decrease in lung function. Nitrogen dioxide also forms fine particulate matter and nitrogen in the atmosphere.
sulphur dioxide(SO 2 ) is formed when fossil fuels (coal and oil) are burned to heat homes and in cars. This substance can affect the respiratory system and lung function and cause eye irritation. On days with elevated SO 2 concentrations, the number of hospitalizations with heart disease and mortality increase. When SO 2 combines with water, sulfurous acid is formed, which is the main component of acid rain.
Phenol found in industrial emissions, exhaust gases, cigarette smoke. This substance has a general toxic effect, causes disturbances in the activity of the cardiovascular system, and irritates the skin.
The dirtiest and cleanest cities
According to Olga, the situation with air pollution in Belarus is far from catastrophic, especially compared to China or European countries. However, in some cities there are excesses of the norms. Gomel, Mogilev and some districts of Minsk are traditionally considered problematic.
- How do we know this? We have a system for monitoring atmospheric air in our country — 66 stations in 19 cities. They are placed in such a way as to characterize the average situation in the area or city.
Stations regularly measure air quality, their data are averaged and regularly publish.
- In Minsk, the situation is better now than in previous years. The area where pollution is traditionally high is in the area of Radialnaya Street, the Minsk Motor Plant, the sparkling wine factory, - says Olga. “Sufficiently good air in the area of the observatory, in Zeleny Luga and most residential areas.
In 2016, one-time excesses of the established maximum allowable concentration were recorded in the capital for three indicators - carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.
In Gomel, 35 days have accumulated over the year with excess of the norm for carbon monoxide. The specialist considers the indicator quite understandable - there are many industrial facilities in this city.
In Mogilev, phenol levels were exceeded for 33 days, and ammonia levels were exceeded for another 16 days. Novopolotsk was the leader in terms of the number of days with excess sulfur dioxide (16 days) and particulate matter (8 days). This is a consequence of the fact that oil refineries are located near the city.
Minsk is one of the dirtiest cities in Belarus. Photo: TUT.BY For a single day, single norms for the content of the main pollutants in Bobruisk, Grodno and Svetlogorsk were not exceeded. That's right - in Bobruisk there were excesses of strict norms of average annual concentrations, but the stations did not record violations of the maximum one-time concentrations.
- It is possible that the average annual concentration is within the normal range, but the number of days when the average daily maximum allowable concentration is exceeded is quite high. Or the average annual concentration falls, and the number of days exceeding the maximum one-time thresholds increases. This is a rather complex system, and complex processes take place in it that cannot be described by one indicator, Olga notes.
If the norms are exceeded, it is better to reduce active loads
By the way, you can monitor the air quality in Minsk, regional centers, Polotsk, Novopolotsk, Zhlobin, Soligorsk and Mozyr district online. Information place on the website of the Republican Center for Hydrometeorology, Radioactive Contamination Control and Environmental Monitoring of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Belarus.
The data is updated every hour, and for Minsk — every 20 minutes. The monitoring system provides data on individual substances in fractions of the maximum allowable concentration. If less than one - everything is fine, if more - it is worth considering.
PM10 is large solid particles. 0.5 MPC means that their concentration in the air was half of the maximum allowable. This means that at midnight in the Radial area it was possible to breathe deeply (at least in terms of particulate matter). Image: rad.org.by / Yandex. Cards Depending on how polluted the air is, you can plan your day.
There is only one recommendation, and it is simple. The only thing we can do in case of excesses is to reduce active loads in the fresh air, Olga advises. - With slight excesses, this applies only to sensitive groups of people, if the level is high - to everyone.
I strongly do not recommend running outside when any of the indicators is greater than one. When we give the body a load, we breathe deeper, the particles penetrate deeper, the processes occur faster and the impact is more acute. No one says that you need to wear a gas mask, but you should try not to run.
The degree of air pollution depends on the time of day. Peak levels of ozone and formaldehyde occur in the daytime. The maximum of nitrogen and carbon oxides corresponds to the peak hours of land transport. It is at this time that the specialist advises to avoid active outdoor activities.
Which apartments have cleaner air?
Air quality should also be taken into account when choosing a place to live. For example, if there are no factory pipes nearby, then it is better to choose the upper floors of houses.
- In Minsk, the source of more than 70% of emissions is transport, if we take the sum of substances. Transport is a low ground source. Therefore, on the upper floors, the concentration of polluted air will decrease. Above the third floor is already good.
Another general rule is that windows to the courtyard are better than windows to the roadway. But even if you live on the ground floor and the windows overlook a busy road, pollution will not always “stagnate”.
- It can be understood as follows: compare the width of the gap between the houses and the height of the building. If the width of the gap is greater than the height of the building, then the air quality is more likely to be acceptable. It's bad when skyscrapers stand close.
When the distance between houses is greater than their height, polluted air is not likely to linger near the ground. Image: Yandex. panoramas 
But in such narrow streets, the air on the lower floors can be dirty. Image: Yandex. panoramas "It's mostly not our emissions"
Polluted air is not always a bad smell. Some hazardous substances cannot be seen without special equipment.
- Formaldehyde can be smelled - it has a specific formalin smell. You can smell sulfur. The rest of the substances in the concentrations in which they are contained in the air do not smell much - at least inorganic, says Olga.
Air pollution is influenced by many factors: industrial emissions, city layout, how emissions are distributed in the air and how substances interact with each other, atmospheric circulation.
“What we throw away doesn’t always end up with us. So if we look at what we deposit, it's mostly not our emissions. Mostly, substances fall out from neighboring countries - from Poland, Russia and Ukraine. But the list of those countries that in principle influence us is very large - it is almost all the countries of Europe. Similarly, we influence other countries. Air has no boundaries.
According to experts, sub-regional centers like Mozyr, Polotsk-Novopolotsk, Pinsk, Glubokoe may to some extent compete with regional centers in the future and become attractive for living.
According to the results of the rating of Belarusian cities, conducted by the Center for New Ideas, Minsk is ahead of other Belarusian cities in a number of indicators. Nevertheless, they are rapidly catching up, and in some places ahead of the Belarusian capital Brest and Grodno.
Economic indicators, except for Minsk, are highest in Novopolotsk, Soligorsk, Mozyr. The demographic and economic outsiders according to the rating included Orsha, Borisov and Bobruisk.
Brest and Grodno have potential
As noted at the Reshape-2018 conference by CASE Belarus senior researcher Dmitry Babitsky, in recent years Minsk has been losing industry, which is being actively replaced by service.
“The “agglomeration ring” around Minsk is developing and growing. Basically, we have an increase in employment occurs within the boundaries of this ring. Therefore, such facilities as Zaslavl, Dzerzhinsk, Smolevichi are now the top places where new jobs are being opened,” he said.
The expert drew attention to the fact that in the Minsk region there are more employed people than residents, which in turn is also typical for Soligorsk.
“More than 100,000 people come to Minsk every day to work from other cities, that is, every tenth worker in Minsk does not live there,” he said.
Dmitry Babitsky also commented on the leading positions occupied by Grodno and Brest in the ranking of Belarusian cities. The expert cited Poland as an example, where cities such as Gdansk, Szczetin, Wroclaw are developing more dynamically than Warsaw.
“Although such a trend is not yet visible in Belarus, Brest, Grodno and a number of other cities have a very great potential,” Dmitry Babitsky believes.
“Why are Brest and Grodno leading in the rating? They have a big plus in that they are located on the border and therefore are strongly involved in cross-border communications, they have constant access to new knowledge, "chips", and there are teams there that are trying to implement all this. And most importantly, there is human potential. Someone opened a coffee shop, a start-up followed it, and behind this lies the future of cities,” said Ivan Shchedrenok, director of the Interaction Foundation, in turn.
Why Orsha has no chance?
At the same time, experts agree that with a strict vertical of power, which is typical for Belarus, it is difficult for the regions to develop.
“We have the chief fireman and the chief doctor only in the regional city. Financial flows, both formal and not, correspond to this, - Dmitry Babitsky explained. - All the “fat” is concentrated where the power is, that is, in regional cities or cities like Soligorsk, Novopolotsk, where there are huge enterprises. Therefore, Orsha and Borisov have nothing to hope for, especially given the lack of universities there "...
Unfortunately, Ivan Shchedrenok admits, the main goal of the head of the regional center is to give indicators.
“His headache is how to increase milk yield and harvest more crops. And in order for the city to develop, you need to think about how to make it competitive,” the expert believes.
Ivan Shchedrenok admits that the local authorities have no time to deal with these issues, and they are not capable of doing this.
“The whole system works like this: there is a strict vertical line, and the decisions that are made are made by the center, as a result, not strategists, but performers sit in the field. This, in my opinion, is the biggest snag in terms of city management,” the expert is sure.
How will agglomerations develop?
In the opinion of Ivan Shchedrenka, cities like Mozyr, Polotsk-Novopolotsk, Pinsk, Glubokoye are such sub-regional centers that can to some extent compete with regional cities and, to some extent, they also have the future. This means that they have every chance of becoming attractive for living.
“I am not a supporter of the collapse of the country into one city. If the reform of the administrative-territorial division takes place in Belarus, I am sure that the stake will be placed on the forming agglomerations. The main thing is that these agglomerations should become the centers of those sub-regions that are being formed in the country,” he concluded.
According to the WHO, Belarus ranks third in the world in terms of relative mortality from diseases caused by air pollution. In our country, due to such diseases, for example, in 2012, 100 people died per 100 thousand of the population.
Experts associate deaths from stroke, lung cancer, and cardiovascular diseases with air pollution. Pollution also increases the risk of acute respiratory infections.
- For almost all air pollutants, there are a number of proven long-term effects, - says Olga. - There is also a carcinogenic effect, mutagenic, effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
There are groups of people who are particularly sensitive to increased air pollution. These are people with respiratory diseases, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, the elderly and children. Elevated concentrations to which pregnant women are exposed have been shown in scientific studies to affect the incidence of asthma in unborn children.
Not all people who breathe polluted air get sick. However, over time, the likelihood of disease accumulates.
If we are talking about a carcinogenic effect, the disease may or may not appear. But the longer you are exposed to harmful effects, the greater the excess of various substances, the greater the likelihood.
It's the same with asthma and other diseases. A person with good health will be less affected by polluted air. On the other hand, if some process already exists, it can accelerate and give chronic diseases of the respiratory system.
What do we breathe
Usually, experts control the content of 6 main substances in the air: particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, phenol and ammonia. Some cities monitor specific substances.
All these substances affect health in one way or another. A threshold concept has now been adopted: we believe that substances are safe up to a certain concentration and harmful above a certain threshold.
When talking about the impact on human health, ground-level ozone and particulate matter are considered first.
Solid particles It's mostly dust. Measure the total number of particles and their mass. Separately, large and small particles are taken into account - with a diameter of less than 10 and less than 2.5 micrometers. Particulate matter of different composition and size enters the air from different sources. Large particulate matter in the air, for example, comes from construction work, road wear and tire wear. Fine particulate matter is a product of the combustion of wood, coal or other fossil fuels, as well as the result of industrial processes.
Ozone(O3) is formed in the atmosphere as a result of photochemical reactions in the presence of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. - There are not so many processes during which ozone is released into the air, - the specialist notes. - For example, this happens during photocopying. This is negligible across the country. However, we have problems with air pollution from this substance.
carbon monoxide(CO, carbon monoxide) is formed as a result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels with a lack of oxygen and low temperature. Reduces maximum physical performance, and also negatively affects people with cardiovascular diseases.
nitrogen dioxide(NO2) is formed in combustion processes - during heating, power generation, engine operation. Its high concentrations in the atmosphere are associated with a decrease in lung function. Fine particulate matter and nitrogen are also formed from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
sulphur dioxide(SO2) is produced when fossil fuels (coal and oil) are burned to heat homes and in cars. This substance can affect the respiratory system and lung function and cause eye irritation. On days with elevated SO2 concentrations, hospitalizations for heart disease and mortality increase. When SO2 combines with water, sulfuric acid is formed, which is the main component of acid rain.
Phenol found in industrial emissions, exhaust gases, cigarette smoke. This substance has a general toxic effect, causes disturbances in the activity of the cardiovascular system, and irritates the skin.
The dirtiest and cleanest cities
According to Olga, the situation with air pollution in Belarus is far from catastrophic, especially compared to China or European countries. However, in some cities there are excesses of the norms. Gomel, Mogilev and some districts of Minsk are traditionally considered problematic.
How do we know this? We have a system for monitoring atmospheric air in our country - 66 stations in 19 cities. They are placed in such a way as to characterize the average situation in the area or city.
Stations regularly measure air quality, their data are averaged and published regularly.
Infographics: Anton Devyatov / 42.TUT.BY
In Minsk, the situation is now better than in previous years. The area where pollution is traditionally high is in the area of Radialnaya Street, the Minsk Motor Plant, the sparkling wine factory, - says Olga. - Sufficiently good air in the area of the observatory, in Zeleny Luga and most residential areas.
In 2016, one-time excesses of the established maximum allowable concentration were recorded in the capital for three indicators - carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.
In Gomel, 35 days have accumulated over the year with excess of the norm for carbon monoxide. The specialist considers the figure quite understandable - there are many industrial facilities in this city.
In Mogilev, phenol levels were exceeded for 33 days, and ammonia levels were exceeded for another 16 days. Novopolotsk was the leader in terms of the number of days with excess sulfur dioxide (16 days) and particulate matter (8 days). This is a consequence of the fact that oil refineries are located near the city.
Minsk is one of the dirtiest cities in Belarus. Photo: TUT.BY For a single day, single norms for the content of the main pollutants in Bobruisk, Grodno and Svetlogorsk were not exceeded. That's right - in Bobruisk there were excesses of strict norms of average annual concentrations, but the stations did not record violations of maximum one-time concentrations.
It is possible that the average annual concentration is within the normal range, but the number of days when the average daily maximum allowable concentration is exceeded is quite high. Or the average annual concentration falls, and the number of days exceeding the maximum one-time thresholds increases. This is a rather complex system, and complex processes take place in it that cannot be described by one indicator, - Olga notes.
If the norms are exceeded, it is better to reduce active loads
By the way, you can monitor the air quality in Minsk, regional centers, Polotsk, Novopolotsk, Zhlobin, Soligorsk and Mozyr district online. Information is posted on the website of the Republican Center for Hydrometeorology, Radioactive Contamination Control and Environmental Monitoring of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Belarus.
The data is updated every hour, and for Minsk - every 20 minutes. The monitoring system provides data on individual substances in fractions of the maximum allowable concentration. If less than one - everything is fine, if more - it is worth considering.
PM10 is large solid particles. 0.5 MPC means that their concentration in the air was half of the maximum allowable. This means that at midnight in the Radial area it was possible to breathe deeply (at least in terms of particulate matter). Image: rad.org.by / Yandex. Cards Depending on how polluted the air is, you can plan your day.
There is only one recommendation, and it is simple. The only thing we can do in case of excesses is to reduce active loads in the fresh air, Olga advises. - With slight excesses, this applies only to sensitive groups of people, if the level is high - to everyone.
I strongly do not recommend running outside when any of the indicators is greater than one. When we give the body a load, we breathe deeper, the particles penetrate deeper, the processes occur faster and the impact is more acute. No one says that you need to wear a gas mask, but you should try not to run.
The degree of air pollution depends on the time of day. Peak levels of ozone and formaldehyde occur in the daytime. The maximum of nitrogen and carbon oxides corresponds to the peak hours of land transport. It is at this time that the specialist advises to avoid active outdoor activities.
Which apartments have cleaner air?
Air quality should also be taken into account when choosing a place to live. For example, if there are no factory pipes nearby, then it is better to choose the upper floors of houses.
In Minsk, the source of more than 70% of emissions is transport, if we take the sum of substances. Transport is a low ground source. Therefore, on the upper floors, the concentration of polluted air will decrease. Above the third floor is already good.
Another general rule is that windows to the courtyard are better than windows to the roadway. But even if you live on the ground floor and the windows overlook a busy road, pollution will not always “stagnate”.
This can be understood as follows: compare the width of the gap between the houses and the height of the building. If the width of the gap is greater than the height of the building, then the air quality is more likely to be acceptable. It's bad - when high-rise buildings stand close.
When the distance between houses is greater than their height, polluted air is not likely to linger near the ground. Image: Yandex. panoramas 
But in such narrow streets, the air on the lower floors can be dirty. Image: Yandex. panoramas "It's mostly not our emissions"
Polluted air is not always a bad smell. Some hazardous substances cannot be seen without special equipment.
Formaldehyde can be smelled - it has a specific formalin smell. You can smell sulfur. The rest of the substances in the concentrations in which they are contained in the air do not smell strongly - at least inorganic, - says Olga.
Air pollution is influenced by many factors: industrial emissions, city layout, how emissions are distributed in the air and how substances interact with each other, atmospheric circulation.
What we throw away does not always end up with us. So if we look at what we deposit, it's mostly not our emissions. Mostly, substances fall out from neighboring countries - from Poland, Russia and Ukraine. But the list of those countries that, in principle, influence us is very large - it is almost all the countries of Europe. Similarly, we influence other countries. Air has no boundaries.
.
In the 1990s, Svetlogorsk became known as the "capital" of AIDS and drug addicts. The unflattering nickname the city earned in 1996, when it turned out that more than eight hundred HIV-infected drug addicts live here. Since then, the situation cannot be said to have improved: as of September 1, 2016, 4,037 HIV cases were registered in the Svetlogorsk district, which is a record for Belarus. A native of the city named Lyubov disagrees with the statistics: “I saw a couple of drug addicts and syringes on the streets only in the 90s. They say that the "old" drug addicts have already died. Luckily, I haven't seen any new ones. For me, Svetlogorsk is a city of youth and light. It is famous for power engineers, builders, chemists. I like to wander along its streets, embankment, central square. And I'm always happy to go there."
Cover photo: VK group Khoiniki
On this topic: Banana exporters and opium poppy leaders. Getting to know Belarus' neighbors according to the rating of economic freedoms According to the Trudbox website, in August there were 65 job offers in Svetlogorsk, more than half of which were for salaries of up to 100 rubles. The main area is trade, sales, purchases. The industry is represented by 12 enterprises, of which two city-forming enterprises are the Pulp and Cardboard Plant and Khimvolokno. The first, however, is still operating at a loss (in the first quarter of 2016, “income” amounted to minus 103,060 million non-denominated rubles). But the second one retained a small profit (in the first quarter of 2016, it received 171 million non-denominated rubles). A resident of Svetlogorsk, Pavel, looks at the situation optimistically: “With a job, as in any city in the country: it is difficult to get a good job. I feel at home in Svetlogorsk.
Of course, there are many complaints about the entertainment sector, which is almost absent, but 5-6 years ago the situation was even worse. There are a couple of cafes, restaurants, weak billiards. In sports, everything is fine: gyms, gyms, swimming pools. By the way, there is no such thing as drinking in public places or shouting - this is quickly stopped.”
Waste-polluted Soligorsk, which is more crowded than New York
The richest region of Belarus, according to the electronic newspaper Ezhednevnik, suffers from waste from the mining industry. Heaps 120 meters high have already become a local landmark: more than half a million tons of waste is poisoning the environment. The fertile soil layer is polluted with salts and heavy metals. But for the sake of fairness, it should be noted that JSC Belaruskali was the first in the country to introduce an environmental monitoring system and closely monitors compliance with the standards for maximum allowable emissions into the atmosphere. Another problem of Soligorsk is its high population density: more than 100,000 people live in an area of less than 10 square kilometers, which is more than in New York. The result is a lack of personal space and littering.
On this topic: Photo of the day. "Belarusian Iceland" near Soligorsk Elena from Soligorsk honestly spoke about the pros and cons of the city: “Everyone around is sure that only rich miners live in Soligorsk. In fact, only a small percentage of residents work in Belaruskali, and even less in the mine itself. Yes, the miners get well, but it is, believe me, well-deserved. Their work is insanely difficult. Along with high salaries, they also receive serious health problems. The rest of the Soligorsk residents work, as in other cities: in factories, shops, schools and medical institutions. Enough individual entrepreneurs. By the growing number of hypermarkets, it can be judged that the residents of Soligorsk have enough money.
Soligorsk is not famous for its cultural sights. Still, it is a very young and, above all, an industrial city. The building is standard and rather monotonous, so tourists are usually taken either to the waste heaps or to the mine.
On the way, sometimes they show a unique wooden 200-year-old church in the village of Chizhevichi, which is an architectural monument. Surprisingly, Soligorsk is ahead of Moscow and New York in terms of population density. This is due to the fact that the city has nowhere to grow: on the one hand - a reservoir, on the other - a forest, on the third - mine work.
Houses stand one on one, as the program of building compaction is in full swing. It got to the point that they manage to build panels in school stadiums and in cramped courtyards of the old city.
True, in recent years a large new microdistrict has grown in Soligorsk, but even it ran into a wall: the arable land of a neighboring collective farm. According to the latest laws in Belarus, fields can be built up only with the consent of the president, which is why Soligorsk froze in anticipation of Lukashenka's approval, and continues to build panels in stadiums and courtyards. Wealth and a big plus of Soligorsk is the presence of a huge forest park zone, which is closely adjacent to the city.
On this topic: Globe of Belarus. Dust, mold and our rightfulness She, of course, is constantly littered because of lovers of drunken picnics in nature, but still beautiful and beloved by the townspeople. The folk trail to the "Springs" does not overgrow, where the whole city collects drinking water from a natural source. Bicycles are now on the wave of popularity among Soligorsk residents. In good weather, people with whole families go on “rides” into the forest or along the ski-roller track. By the way, the construction of a new long bike path has recently begun.”
Bobruisk as a place where you can get a knife in the ribs
The statistical collection of offenses in the Republic of Belarus for 2011-2014 approved the title of criminal for the Bobruisk district: in 2014 there were 1,755 crimes per 100,000 people and 1,068 per 100,000 in the city itself - a kind of record for Belarus. However, the city authorities do not agree with the notoriety: in 2017, Bobruisk will become the cultural capital. The Forstadt district enjoys special fame in the city - quoting locals, it is “just gangster, there were many groups, hooligans live, and generally dubious.” Once upon a time, Old Believers settled on these streets, now colorful personalities live, whose fathers in the 60s shot at their neighbors from attics for fun.
One of the sights of the city is a defensive structure of the first half of the 19th century. According to the residents of Bobruisk, this is a wonderful place: “You go in and there a homeless man is sleeping or a drug addict overdosed. They don't follow her.
It becomes a shame, for many years the museums of the city are fighting for reconstruction. But they don't give money." When asked if it’s scary to live in the criminal capital of Belarus, a resident named Vyacheslav answers: “I can’t speak for people, everyone is paranoid at their own level, but I’m not afraid to walk around the city. Doors are locked, of course. As for work, it’s a different story here: as in all cities, if you want to earn money, it’s better not to get a stable job at all, where wages are steadily falling down. There is where to have fun (restaurants, parks), but everything quickly gets boring, the city is small. In this city, as, indeed, in this country, there is nothing to do for those who want to live well, have fun and, even more so, earn money.
No less criminal Baranovichi as a competitor to Bobruisk
On this topic: Typology of those who came in large numbers Baranovichi, a city where there are problems with drugs, crimes against minors and theft, can compete with the criminal capital. In 2014, Baranovichi was marked on the criminal map of Belarus as a place where there were 804 registered crimes per 100,000 inhabitants (1,231 per 100,000 inhabitants of the Baranovichi district). Alexander, a native of Baranovichi, did not hide the real state of affairs: “Once upon a time it was very sad, they went from district to district. Within the city there is a pre-trial detention center No. 6. Nearby "Crosses" - a district of gopniks and all sorts of cattle. When I was studying, it was relatively calm, except that at the beginning of the 2000s, some guy's nose was broken (he was showing off in the wrong area).
Since now many people of Caucasian nationality come to enter the local university, one does not always want to be in the center. The last big fight was a couple of years ago - someone had a conflict with a Caucasian because of a girl. And so - everything is as usual, there are small areas such as "Crosses", "Chinese wall" (the longest house on Telman Street - approx. KYKY) and the like, but on a much smaller scale. And there are good things: interesting churches with frescoes, new shopping centers are being built, districts are getting settled more and more. There is an ice palace, two cinemas - the modern Zvezda and the old Oktyabr. There are small statues in the center, the same owl in the hollow near the bookstores. The aircraft repair plant in recent years has begun to return to its former attractiveness in terms of jobs. The Railway Museum is about 10 years old, but it can be interesting to go and see. For those who like to relax, there are several disco clubs. An ordinary city that has recently changed the mayor and seems to be getting better.”
Bragin as the radioactive capital of Belarus
Elevated levels of MD gamma radiation were registered in two Belarusian cities - Bragin and Slavgorod, but only one of them was recognized as an unofficial "radioactive capital". Perhaps the reason is the memorial on the main square of Bragin: there is a sign of radioactivity, an alley of the resettled villages of the region and a monument to Vasily Ignatenko, who died while extinguishing a fire at the 4th power unit.
On this topic: Anomalous Belarus: a guide to the most mystical places Even during the day, the streets are empty – as of January 1, 2016, 3,750 people live in the urban-type settlement. The places are beautiful, but it is better not to go into the surrounding forests: radiation hazard signs are installed at the entrance. But watching is not forbidden. Vladislav, a native of Bragin, has lived here all his life: “Young people stay in Bragin after finishing school, the locals mainly work in the field of education. The salary is average, practically not enough to live on. It is impossible to pick mushrooms and berries in the forests, but in general we are used to radiation. From entertainment, who wants to, there are sports sections, but mostly, of course, bars. From culture... Well, for a small town it's enough: monuments to world wars, the Chernobyl disaster, exhibitions in the museum... But who among young people needs this story? In general, there are better cities, there are worse ones. Bragin is something in between.
Khoiniki as a symbol of unsuccessful distribution for Belarusian students
Everyone who studied at the budget department of a Belarusian university still sees in his nightmares scenes of distribution: “If you don’t find a job before graduation, you will go to Khoiniki.” As of January 1, 2016, 12,797 people lived in Khoiniki, which are joined annually by about 40 young professionals. From work in the area there are at least 14 industrial and agricultural enterprises. There is a standard set of culture houses, where concerts and discos are held, and a cinema. And, perhaps, the Belkoopsoyuz cafe. Everything.
Olga, a city dweller, was a young specialist herself three years ago: “I have heard a lot about the fact that graduates are frightened by Khoyniki. My friend studied at the Maxim Tank University, and one day at a lecture on the stream, the teacher, moving a little away from the topic, said, they say, you know what is the worst thing about studying here? This distribution is in Khoiniki! My friend, who is not a timid girl, asked the question: "Why?" The teacher was confused and did not give a clear answer. Sadly, these very rumors are invented by our mentors. And there is actually only one problem in Khoiniki - these are our “colleagues” who are afraid of young ambitious young professionals full of energy and new ideas, do not share work experience, and in some cases they can “set up”, they are afraid for their familiar place. Today people are different, cruel… Those kind and sympathetic people who are ready to come to the aid of a comrade are no longer there.”
David-Haradok: the last place in the quality of life ranking
On this topic: Downshifting logic. How to live in the countryside and not become a chicken When the Academy of Sciences of Belarus compiled a rating of cities in terms of quality of life (the criteria were the population growth rate, migration growth, average monthly salary, the share of the economically active population, the ecological situation and transport accessibility), David-Haradok took the last 134th place. This settlement with a population of just over six thousand people is famous for its theatrical procession in honor of the pagan holiday "Koniki".
And also provincial boredom. Jobs can be found here in the service sector, trade, or at an electromechanical and bakery (“Not very smart people remain at the plant - there is little future,” locals comment). Residents are dissatisfied with salaries, and young people are not particularly late: in 2015, the natural population decline was -6 per 1,000 inhabitants. On the portal of the city you can find a curious rating, where site visitors evaluate life in David-Haradok. Best of all things are with landscapes (88 points), worst of all - with nightlife (28.6).
The main factors of environmental impact are related, firstly, to the functioning of the national economy and, mainly, the production complex, secondly, to the transboundary transfer of pollutants and, thirdly, to the presence of inherited unresolved problems. The first of these factors, as a rule, is the main one, the other two are usually less significant. At the same time, cases are not ruled out when external sources acquire a decisive role in this respect. With regard to Belarus, a similar case took place in 1986, when an accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the neighboring republic - Ukraine. As a result, the bulk of the radioactive substances that got into the atmosphere fell out on the territory of Belarus, which was a priority factor in environmental pollution in the country. A big concern after Chernobyl - the resettlement of refugees, the restoration of agriculture, medical care for people in the infected areas - fell on the shoulders of now independent Belarus.
The territory of Belarus accounted for 70% of all radioactive contamination. In the affected area (23% of the territory) was 1/5 of the country's population - about 2 million people. In total, 54 districts (mainly Gomel and Mogilev regions) were contaminated in Belarus, on the territory of which there are 27 cities and 2697 settlements. About 20% of agricultural land and about 15% of forests were taken out of circulation. And despite the huge costs of reducing the radiation hazard, some areas of Belarus still have an increased radiation background, water and soil are polluted in them (Appendix 1).
The radiation situation in Belarus has a negative impact primarily on the health status of the population living in contaminated areas, where the growth rate of diseases of the endocrine system, circulatory system and the appearance of neoplasms does not decrease. 530 thousand children and adolescents live in the territory contaminated with radionuclides. The incidence of thyroid cancer in the republic over the past five years has fluctuated between 2.1-3.2 people per 100,000 children, while in European countries this figure does not exceed 0.5 people. In the structure of childhood morbidity, the share of congenital and hereditary pathologies is growing, which are associated with the presence in the environment of additional mutagenic factors caused by the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster.
Other technogenic factors - industrial, military, transport, agricultural, etc. - also have a negative impact on the ecology of Belarus.
After the end of World War II, Belarus entered the industrial stage of development. The largest industrial enterprises were built on its territory not only in the USSR, but also in Europe. They significantly changed the appearance, cultural landscape of the republic, and also negatively affected the environment. First of all, we are talking about enterprises in the chemical industry, the largest of which are: Khimvolokno in Mogilev, Svetlogorsk, Grodno, Naftan and Polymer in Novopolotsk, Belaruskali in Soligorsk.
The creation of such enterprises has led to a man-made overload of the natural environment and pollution of a significant part of the territory of the Republic of Belarus. The most environmentally hazardous in terms of air saturation with phenol, formaldehyde and other carcinogens are all the largest cities of Belarus. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides emitted into the atmosphere are the main culprits in the formation of acid precipitation, which kills the living world of surface water bodies, increases the acidity of already acidic soils, destroys forests and crops, increases the corrosion of metals, and destroys the lining of buildings and structures (Fig. one).
Rice. one.
Industrial enterprises pollute not only the air, but also the water basin of the Republic of Belarus. Most enterprises dump their waste into rivers and reservoirs, including those very dangerous for human life and health: chromium, zinc, nickel and other heavy metals. However, in recent years there has been such a trend as a reduction in the volume of wastewater, and, accordingly, the flow of pollutants into water bodies has also decreased. The quality of surface waters has generally improved. There are differences in water quality between the basins of the main rivers. Based on these differences, the basins are distributed in the following sequence (in descending order of quality): Neman basin - Western Dvina - Pripyat - Western Bug - Dnieper.
In addition to enterprises, vehicles significantly pollute the air. Harmful substances emitted into the atmosphere by cars adversely affect the nervous and mental activity of a person.
To all this, gas and oil pipelines pass through Belarus, where accidents are not uncommon. They lead to significant contamination of soil, water bodies and air with harmful substances hazardous to human health.
The state of the swamps is also an environmental problem. Extensive land reclamation work on the territory of Belarus did not bring a tangible contribution to the development of agriculture, as planned. On the contrary, a large amount of land was taken out of use, as the upper fertile layer was weathered and sand remained. Also, the drainage of swamps has led to the disappearance of entire plant and animal species and a decrease in the level of groundwater.
No less important environmental problem characteristic of our country is soil degradation and pollution. Soil degradation occurs as a result of their direct destruction, mainly during various construction works and mining, as well as due to the development of erosion processes mainly on arable land. For peat soils, in the case of their use for arable land, accelerated mineralization of organic matter is characteristic. Direct destruction of the soil cover due to construction work and mining, as in previous years, is not very intense. The area of disturbed lands in the country continues to decrease. Eroded soils cover about a tenth of the arable land.
Along with the development of erosion processes in Belarus, there are also such negative changes in soils as a decrease in their fertility due to insufficient fertilization. Similar changes are observed in about half of the regions of the country.
Chemical contamination of soils takes place mainly in cities and their zones of influence, in roadside lanes of highways, in zones of influence of landfills for waste storage, in places of oil production and on agricultural lands.
The situation with waste was different, where, unlike in previous years, their amount is increasing. The decisive contribution to the formation of production waste continued to be made by one enterprise - RUE "Belaruskali", which accounted for about 3/4 of their total volume. Accordingly, the dynamics of waste generation in the country to a decisive extent depends on the functioning of this enterprise. The difference between the generation and use of waste remains high, which is the reason for a further increase in their accumulation at storage facilities and on the territory of organizations.
Large volumes of accumulated waste from RUE "Belaruskali" and the Gomel Chemical Plant serve as sources of salinization and pollution of groundwater in places where they are stored. Under the salt dumps and sludge storages of potash plants, aquifers are polluted mainly with potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and chlorides. Under dumps of phosphogypsum - sulfates, phosphates and fluorine.
Along with production waste, the generation of municipal waste continues to increase (Fig. 2). The country has organized their centralized removal from urban and rural settlements with subsequent burial at municipal solid waste landfills and mini-landfills.
Rice. 2.
In general, the environmental situation in Belarus remains quite difficult, and environmental issues are being resolved too slowly and inefficiently. Up to 45 million tons of waste is accumulated in the Republic of Belarus every year, most of which cannot be recycled. About 3 million tons of harmful substances are emitted into the air, 10% of industrial and domestic waste is dumped into water bodies untreated. This leads to an increase in the number of diseases, as well as an increase in the death rate of the inhabitants of Belarus.