Manych Ship Canal - Feasibility Studies

Feasibility Studies

Scientific and technical feasibility studies of new water and land routes are relevant for densely populated southern Russia. Construction proposals for a navigation canal should be thoroughly studied to minimize environmentally negative consequences. Risk factors include:

• 1. Increase in salinity of soil and groundwater as a result of underflooding;
• 2. Introduction of invasive flora and fauna which are foreign to the region;
• 3. Oil spill pollution of the water basin and littoral (coastal) ecosystems.

Constructing the canal invert and banks with concrete or similar materials could diminish shore line erosion and decrease underflooding and soil salinization from percolating water losses.

There will be no direct waterway between the Azov and Caspian seas, for the watershed divide is on the level of the Chograi reservoir. Technical procedures for control and sterilization of ballast water will diminish the danger of transfer of foreign fauna over the watershed divide.

The over-mineralized endorheic basins of the Kuma-Manych depression created soil salinization and appearance of unusable agricultural areas. Inflow of water with less mineralization may partially flush salinity from soils at higher elevations.

Strict observance of existing regulations for tanker oil transportation will be required. Waterworks installations should be designed to facilitate localization of oil patches and other types of surface pollution and removal of its consequences. Five hundred of the designed 700 km canal track pass through existing reservoirs requiring deepening of the canal invert.

Minimization of the environmentally negative impact can be provided only if separate design companies and environment experts co-ordinate their technical decisions and strictly observe the technical regulations and norms. Taking into account the above mentioned, consider that implementation of the project on construction of the navigation canal "Eurasia" is feasible and will not have environmentally negative consequences.