Kemerovo air pollution blamed on industry, factory denies

Residents of Kemerovo on Thursday, January 29, demanded that authorities conduct and disclose air study data due to the choking smog that has hung over the city for the past two weeks. At the same time, the regional Ministry of Natural Resources and the city«s largest enterprises stated on social media that they have been reducing emissions amid the imposed adverse meteorological conditions (AMC) regime.

Complaints about a poisonous chemical smell and a white haze in the city appear daily in the comments under publications by the regional governor, Ilya Seredyuk. Since mid-January, Kemerovo has been under an AMC regime, during which enterprises must reduce emission volumes. City residents note that, despite the requirements, they see no improvements.

“Factories report that they are trying to reduce [emissions], but from environmentalists« reports, I understood that we have violations. [If not the industrial zone], then who is ruining our ecology? Where is the response from the controllers, or do they prefer to sit in their offices? Although according to their own recommendations, it»s better not to go outside and breathe every other breath,” writes one of the city«s women.

In response to the outrage, the press service of JSC «Azot» replied, assuring that the plant is reducing its environmental load. In particular, caprolactam production is operating at half capacity, and workshops producing ammonium nitrate and urea have reduced emissions by 10%.

“Important! The technological processes at JSC «Azot» do not use coal and, accordingly, do not produce soot, dust, phenol, or hydrochloric acid,” the company noted.

Meanwhile, city residents stated that they do not believe the industrialists« words, as for two weeks in the city, “it»s impossible to breathe due to the chemical smell and soot.”

Representatives of SGC (Siberian Generating Company) spoke about operating under the AMC regime. Among other things, employees “intensely control the furnace and gas cleaning process on electrostatic precipitators and scrubbers.” At the same time, the Kemerovo GRES, Novo-Kemerovskaya, and Kemerovo CHP stations are also introducing a series of restrictive and precautionary measures.

“Under conditions of extremely low temperatures, combined heat and power plants cannot reduce load without compromising the quality of heat supply to residents. Therefore, the power stations operate in set modes — according to temperature schedules and assignments from the System Operator,” the representatives write.

The press service of PJSC «KOKS», which is also regularly named as one of the culprits of the stench, did not comment on the situation. At the same time, the organization is among the main air pollutants.

At the same time, the editorial office of NGS42.RU found out that coking enterprises and other chemical plants affect the state of the environment. In particular, air is polluted due to the burning of phenolic waters and processes in the boiler house.

Previously, we looked at what is happening inside the factories that are poisoning Kemerovo residents.