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Friday, 25.02.2011
Greenpeace: peat-smog will return in summer
Moscow. It is still the middle of winter and Greenpeace is talking about summer, warning that Moscow could be covered again in smog from peat bog and forest fires. Peat bogs are still smoldering despite the severe frost.
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Even throughout the winter peat bog fires are continue to burn deep in the ground in the Moscow regions, Greenpeace representative Mikhail Krejnlin said at a consultation in the city environment office. Although they had started to put out peat bog fires again in mid-January, many are still not under control. “It is highly probable that some of these areas will catch on fire again”, stated Krejnlin.
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Peat bogs burn in depth of 100 meters
It is unrealistic in the opinion of ecologists, to hope the fires will be extinguished naturally by melt water. It will not penetrate as deep as 100 meters, he said, which gives the indication that he believes that the gleaming ash of the fires lies even deeper.
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Greenpeace warns that last summer's devastating forest fires could happen again as large areas are still covered with trees that burnt down in last years fire instead of being cleared away. The charred wood is extremely flammable.
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Urgent actions have to be taken now, Krejnlin said. It is necessary to clear the smoldering peat deposits, clear the burnt down trees and dig firebreaks to separate and protect the undamaged woods.
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Creating swamps in the Moscow region in not sufficient
Moscow's water utility supplier Mosvodacanal said that they are on standby for additional measures to flood the peat bogs. However this would have to be coordinated by the governments of the Moscow regions.
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The flooding of peat spots in the Moscow region had been started in August but the 300 million ruble (ˆ7.5 million) project did not get as far as originally planned.
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Forest fires instead of peat bog fires?
Experts warn that creating peat swamps would even increase the risk of fire. Old trees on these for years non-cultivated areas would die and create a further fire hazard.
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During last summer's extreme heat wave the Russian capital had been covered by an acidic smoke dome that lasted around one month.
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At certain times pollution levels were exceeded tenth fold. During this period the mortality rate in Moscow grew by 50 percent.
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