Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Petr Sumin suggested that an interdepartmental water use committee should be set up in the region to ensure better water resource management.

The committee is to be chaired by First Deputy Governor Vladimir Dyatlov. Among the committee members are Minister for Radiation and Environmental Safety Gennady Podtesov, Minister for Construction, Infrastructure, and Roads Valery Shopov, Minister for Industry and Natural Resources Evgeniy Teftelev, some representatives of the regional environmental monitoring center, and the area’s leading environmental scientists.

Experts keep warning the authorities that Chelyabinsk Region’s major rivers (the River Miass, the River Ural, and the River Ufa) are fairly or greatly polluted for several years already. In addition, there is the issue of flat water reservoirs that affect the local flora and fauna. The spokesperson for the Governor reports the committee’s work will primarily be targeted at elaborating a united and consistent water use policy in the region. The committee members, who will meet at least once every three months, will have all the data available and will use them to draw up special action plans and subsidy programs.