On May 20, all the Volga regions of Russia celebrated the day of the great river – Volga Day. It was first held in Nizhny Novgorod, in 2008, during the X Industrial Forum "Great Rivers 2008". The creation of the festival is connected with drawing attention to the problems of river conservation.
On this day, environmental events are held in the regions where this river feeds. Volunteers clean the banks of the river, hold educational events – themed photo exhibitions and exhibitions of children's drawings, lectures, scientific discussions and seminars, as well as fairs of handicrafts, game and concert programs.
Traditionally, on May 20, a round table "Ecology of the Volga: problems, solutions" was held at the Department of Ecology and Technosphere Safety of the URBAS Institute.
The main objective of the event was to discuss the current state and the main problems related to the ecological state of the Volgograd and Saratov reservoirs in the water area of the region. The main speaker was a senior researcher at the Saratov branch of the Scientific Research Center of the Russian Federation "All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography" (VNIRO) Vladimir Kiyashko. He spoke about VNIRO and its importance in fisheries science, about the unique history of the Saratov branch, its modern scientific areas of work and ongoing research, about the state of water bodies in the Saratov, Samara, Penza, Orenburg and Volgograd regions. He also paid special attention to the environmental problems of the Saratov and Volgograd reservoirs.
A round table discussion was held to discuss possible ways to solve the environmental problems of the Volga River basin.
The Round table was attended by students, postgraduates, scientists from scientific institutions of the city of Saratov, representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Saratov region, as well as eco-volunteers who are not indifferent to the environmental problems of the Volgograd reservoir.
VNIRO Press Service
