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News, September, 2006.

Environment and Public Health in Regions of the Aluminum Industry Presence Program Beginning of Second Grant Round Projects in Shelekhov.

Project Sewage Tanks Overhaul.

Organization: Vodokanal Municipal Unitary Enterprise

This project will modernize the municipal sewage treatment system and repair sewage sedimentation tanks whose deterioration has reached 100%. This is causing an overburdening of the aeration tanks’ units with pollutants in primary sedimentation tanks and the poor condition of return sludge in secondary sedimentation tanks and, consequently, worsens the quality of the sewage treatment process and contaminates the Olkha River to which the treated sewage is discharged. As a result of this project, the rotted overflow edges of the sedimentation tanks (Fig. 1 and 2) will be replaced with new ridged ones made of PVC at 8 tanks (280 linear m) and at 6 other tanks (210 linear m) at the cost of the grantee organization. This will allow to reduce by 20% the discharge of suspended matter from the tanks, cut repair costs by 10-15 times, and prolong the service life of the tanks for up to 15-20 years. Such an upgrading of the sedimentation tanks of the sewage treatment facilities in Shelekhov will help improve the municipal sewage treatment system and the quality of the sewage and, thus, reduce the pollution of water discharged to the watershed of the rivers Olkha, Irkut and Angara.

Fig. 1 and 2. The wooden overflow edges at the sedimentation tanks of the sewage treatment system in Shelekhov and the project team

Project  Warmth and Concern Improve Child Health!

 Organization: Gymnasium # 19 (Malyshok), a pre-school and elementary school municipal educational institution.

This project will carry out energy-efficiency activities aimed at lowering energy losses by winterizing the roofing; sealing the joints of the building’s wall panes (Fig. 3); and installing 3 door units at the entrances of the central corridor and 2 air heat shields (one near the central entrance and the other at the exit from the swimming pool).

Fig. 3. The joints of the gymnasium’s building that require sealing

Fig. 4. The old ventilation system of the gymnasium

The ventilation system at the swimming pool and the gym (Fig. 4) will be repaired and regular training will be resumed.

This effort will create a favorable environment in which the rate of illnesses and, especially, of colds, will drop 30% and in which nearly 300 children attending this largest in the city child care center will be hardened. Besides, the physical and emotional condition of children will be improved through the installation of modern equipment for physical therapy and microclimate optimization (a quartz treatment cone UOGN-1, an ionizer, and an air humidifier).  Monitoring is an important element of the project and is directed at energy expenses (with the aim of further reinvesting saved funds for the needs of the gymnasium and for installing heat meters); and at the state of the children’s child health (disease dynamics and the number of children in the risk group who require emotional correction).

Project  Child Health Improvement.

Organization: Kindergarten # 17 (Zolotoi Kluchik), a pre-school municipal educational institution

This project includes a range of activities to improve the health of preschoolers, such as equipping a salt mine – a spelaean treatment room – for preventing environmental diseases in children and strengthening their immune systems.

Project activities will also be directed at improving the physical and mental condition  of the children through setting up an “environmental room” with phytoncide plants; conducting physical therapy and immunity correction sessions for children; and organizing emotional relaxation sessions at the “environmental room”  that will be attended by 300 children in the course of 5 months (Fig. 5).

The outdoor environment around the kindergarten that is located near a highway and an industrial area will be improved by creating a green belt between the highway and the kindergarten consisting of 50 trees capable of catching pollutants (rowan-trees, larch, and white poplar).

Fig. 5. An “environmental room” is equipped for conducting phytotherapy and relaxation sessions for children

The project involves 288 children from Kindergarten # 17, 65 children from the Rucheyok Children’s Home, 200 children from nearby kindergartens who are frequently ill, 60 staff members, and 200 parents. In the course of 3 months, an average of 600 people will attend health improvement sessions (the necessary equipment will be installed in June and July) and nearly 300 children and 60 staff members will attend relaxation sessions at the “environmental room”.