• World's Clearest, Deepest & Oldest lake (At least 30 Million Years old)

• Self-contained aquatic system An isolated ecosystem & Huge Natural Laboratory

• Home to : 1085 Plant Species and 1550 Animal Species More than 1,500 unique endemic species (found no where else on earth) Baikal seal (believed Relative to the Arctic ringed seal, 3,220 km away) Omul, a local fish considered to be a delicacy in the region. Some of the plants and animals can be dated to prehistoric times.

• Resides on the Deepest Continental Rift on Earth 3 large plates meet in this rift with 7Km deep sediment More than 25 million years old

• Great Tourism Site and Scenic Beauty

Why LAKE BAIKAL??

Selenga River“Main Inlet into Baikal”

• Carries Industrial Waste• Waste from 3 Mongolian

Cities

Has led to Decreased Spawning Rates of “OMUL”Fish.

Hundreds of

Enterprises“Operate on Lake Baikal Shores”

No Purification Facilities,Dump millions of tons ofZn, Hg, W in Waste Form

More than 700Agricultural

Facilities

Leave behind Fuel Oil,Organic Chemicals, Solar Oil as Waste

Baykalsk Pulp And Paper Mill

“Major Contributor to Employment in Baykalsk and Pollution in Lake Baikal”

• Releases Chlorinated Organics from Chemical waste from Pulp Bleaching.

• Cause of the Worst Air Pollution in the Region• Responsible for Increased Deforestation• Higher DDT Levels in water causing Health

Hazards

Pollution Sources

Social Constraints• The Baykalsk Pulp and Paper Mill is the only source of Income for the people of

Baykalsk Provides employment to 3500 People 2nd Largest Producer of Bleached Cellulose in Russia

• No possibility of redirection of Waste to other areas Area is prone to slides and near to volcanic activity

• Tremendous amount of Poisonous Waste flowing from Mongolia and China via Tributaries

No control over this source of Pollution No Bilateral Agreement with these countries inviting support for reducing River Pollution

• Promotion of Distributed Ownership for developing Tourism in state UNESCO monitored Organization Investment in Capital/Manpower by People from all over the Country Proportional Share in the Profit from Earned Revenue Alternative Jobs for Baykalsk and nearby Towns Residents Solution to Unemployment Problem

• Formation of Regional “Baikal Organization And Surveillance Teams (BOASTs)” Perform Maintenance of Baikal Lake in their regions Responsible for monitoring Tourists to maintain cleanliness and polluting the Lake. More Job Opportunities generated Earn useful income as a share from the net profit earned

• Establishment of Local Effluent and Foul Treatment(LEFT) Units Reduction in waste dumped into the Lake Treatment of Industrial waste Useful chemicals, metals can be extracted Increased Revenue and Reduced Pollution Condemns “Pollution Elsewhere” Ideology New Job and earning opportunities generated

• Adoption by UNESCO as “International Heritage” Will invite attention and resources from all over the world for preserving Lake Baikal

• Co-operation from neighboring countries Minimize waste discharge in Selegna and other feeder tributaries of Baikal Lake Arriving at a Consensus with neighboring countries

What to DO??