Khabarovsk on the verge of an ecological catastrophe?

The ecological situation on the Amur River, just outside Khabarovsk, a Far Eastern city of more than 700,000, is close to critical.

According to specialists, water level on the Amur keeps dropping, impeding self-purification of water. A week ago, experts registered a stench that definitely wasn't there for many years. They could not place it immediately. Analysis of water samples showed it was contaminated by enteric infection viruses. Cholera embryos were discovered in four different spots in the neighborhood of Khabarovsk. The embryos are not active, but may cause quite a number of problems if the situation takes a turn for the worse, specialists said.

The authorities of Khabarovsk have decided to stop drawing water from the Amur and switch over to the Tungus underground reservoir, but the works are rather slow due to the lack of funding.