Sergey Baltyzhakov, director of Green House ecological project (Krasnoyarsk region)

– The experience Rosatom has gained in Muslumovo can be used for solving many other ecological problems

Rosatom’s work in the past year is an example of consistency in keeping one’s promises. We are attentively following the processes in the neighboring region as we also have lots of ecological problems. The situation in the village of Muslumovo (Chelyabinsk region) is critical: the village is suffering from the consequences of a Soviet-time nuclear project when big amounts of radioactive waste were released into the nearby Techa River for many decades. In the Soviet times nobody cared for the villagers. Today, this problem has been solved.

The new management of Rosatom has shown enough will and courage to acknowledge the problem. As of today, 373 families from Muslumovo have already got 1,000,000 RUR compensation for their old houses. A total of 610 families wish to leave the village.

According to the agreement for joint financing of the measures for ecological recovery of Techa River and resolution of social problems of the village of Muslumovo signed by the Federal Agency for Nuclear Energy and the Government of Chelyabinsk region in Nov 2006, the parties have allocated 600mln RUR each for the project. Rosatom covers the compensation expenses, while the Government of Chelyabinsk region organizes the construction of new houses and infrastructure for people wishing to move to the new residential area — Novomuslumovo. The resettlement is to be finished by the second half of 2009.

The project is based on the principle of voluntary choice – each resident of Muslumovo has the right to choose where to live: to get 1,000,000 RUR for his old house and to buy new one wherever he likes or to ask the Government of Chelyabinsk region to build a new house for him in Novomuslumovo and to pay for it through local construction organizations

A special information center provides the residents with necessary legal and consultative assistance.

I am sure that the experience Rosatom has gained in Muslumovo can be used for solving ecological problems in other industries: mining, chemistry, etc.