There is coal but no happiness Alesya Chumakova for Belarusky chas, Minsk, Belarus No 43 (1174) 24-30 October 2008 (abridged translation)

No matter how much we complain about the ecology of Belarus, there are regions in the post-Soviet coun- tries that have got plenty of negative factors, apart from Chernobyl.

Steamshop of the Soviets Nowadays Donbass is considered to be one of the most polluted areas in Europe. From the very first minute of being in Donetsk you can tell that even in polluted Minsk it is easier to breathe!

Mum or stepmother? I asked a middle aged woman if she liked breathing in the waste prod- ucts of the Donetskstal plant and ad- jacent mines. Her reply was: “What are you talking about? The plant has got modern equipment. Don’t bother me with that!”. This is the typical position for the majority of local residents whose income depends on Donetskstal. The industrial giant employs 12,000 people and is the place where Donetsk residents spend not only their working days, but their leisure hours as well.

The Country of Smiles is a recrea- tion park located on the territory of the plant and the place where hun- dreds of families spend their free time. The plant spends its own mon-

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ey to train youth educators, takes care of the health of its workers in its own resort and provides milk to help people combat some of the ad- verse health impacts.

It is not surprising that a blind eye is turned to many things. According to the head of the environmental protection department at Donetsk- stal, the level of dust at the plant does not exceed the established minimum levels. However, for some reason the white helmet that I got at the entrance became grey during the excursion so that it was possible to draw on it with a finger as if on dirty windows.

The situation with labour safety is not much better. The workers were dressed up in dirty overalls and none of them wore safety goggles or used earplugs despite obviously high noise levels. Probably I was talking to the wrong man, but when I, per- haps provocatively, asked the head

“From the very first minute of being in Donetsk you can tell that even in polluted Minsk it is easier to breathe!”

of the environmental protection de- partment what the typical illnesses of their workers were, he replied “Acute respiratory disease, radicu- lar pain, like everyone else”. There was absolutely no chance of looking through the medical charts to check what the ecologist said.

In addition, the plant does not conduct any research to identify the impact of emissions on the environment.

Meanwhile, according to data from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, one in two ill people in Donetsk have cancer. According to the Donetsk regional council, only 23 per cent of babies are born healthy and the death rate exceeds the birth rate. On one wall of the plant was a poster: “We will build the clean future together”.

Possibly, the situation will change in 2010 when electric furnaces are to be put into operation and all open hearth furnaces are shut down, but at present pollutant emissions from the steel industry in Donetsk region amount to 494,500 tonnes a year, or 30 per cent of the total emissions in the region.

Production of gas, electricity and water is responsible for a similar

“The level of dust at the Donetskstal plant does not exceed the established minimum levels. How- ever, for some reason the white helmet that I got at the entrance became grey during the excursion.”

amount of pollution, and extrac- tive industries produce another 532,000 tonnes of it.

Breathing may damage your health In any city the most expensive apartments are located in the centre. In Donetsk this prestigious housing is literally adjacent to the walls of the enterprise.

I stopped to talk to a woman who seemed to be living nearby: “Aren’t you scared to be living so close to the steel plant?” “Yes, I know that it is harmful for health, but at the moment I don’t have an opportunity to move out. Last year my Dad died of cancer and I think that the environment had its negative effect”.