A team of workers is clearing away the decay around the Kharasaveiskoye gas condensate field in Yamal. The cleanup began near the homes of indigenous people of the North. The crew will get rid of the 33 dilapidated industrial facilities, residential buildings and dumps in the abandoned village of Kharasavei, which once served as a base for shift workers, the Sever-Press news agency reports.

Recently, the workers had guests – polar bears, or the kings of the Arctic. Although the polar bears behave peacefully and do not wander close, people have to post guards while doing the work to ensure safety.

The workers have already demolished 20 of 32 structures. They have cleared two whole streets, and are sorting and disposing of the debris from dismantled buildings on the other two. Construction waste and garbage are stored at special temporary sites.

As many as 23 people are now working on the site, using 11 pieces of machinery, including an excavator, a heavy bulldozer, a track-type loader, dump trucks and other equipment, in the difficult northern conditions, with never ending rain and fog.

Most of the members of the Khaerako student construction brigade from the Yamal Multidisciplinary College are from the Yamal District, so direct involvement in cleaning up their native land is very important for them. They work well as a team and very enthusiastically. Green Arctic public activists have helped prepare the students for the difficulties of the Arctic mission.

Over the next three years, the district authorities plan to clean up 70 hectares of the Kara Sea coast. According to preliminary estimates, there are about 25,000 tonnes of pollutants to be removed, mainly construction materials and scrap metal.

The creation of the Russian Arctic Exploration Centre in 2014 was an important step in bolstering environmental and scientific activities in Yamal. The centre was established by a decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area Department of External Relations as the local co-founder.

(Photo © interyamal.ru)