A Ghost City

 
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    In the late eighties, the officials of the Aktobe region in Kazakhstan were faced with a queer social phenomenon: the local Kazakh families had, on average, only about two children, while in the rest of the Republic the figure was about nine kids. Why nobody had got wise to the fact much earlier is a riddle wrapped in mystery. Be it as it may, a Commission of Inquiry was set up with scientists to investigate the facts.
    Well, scientists surely are not stupid even if they are not Party members, so they immediately got down to business. The first step was to check the air, water and food taking into account national traditions and habits. The other Soviet nationalities, even those having only one kid, did not arouse much interest. Good if they were blessed with one.
    The clue was found quick enough. The content of boron, bromine and fluorine in drinking water was way over the limits of maximum allowable concentration (MAC). But judging by the birth rate bust among the Kazakhs all that began a long time ago. All the local water intake wells were checked and a report was laid before the Commission reading that about 70 percent of the wells were poisoned with boron, bromine and fluorine compounds. Water from these wells had to be immediately cut off from the water supply network. Yes, there would be water shortage, but poisoning people and animals had to be stopped. It was not scientists' fault.
     The Communist Party of Kazakhstan being the people's helmsman had to take a decision as to who was to be rewarded, who were the culprits, and what was to be done next. Nothing could be done without its decision. Everyone stand to attention; thank Goodness, relatives would not suffer, only shifted horizontally.
     I had a phone call informing me that I was included in the Commission of Inquiry. Water intake wells were located along the flood-plain of the Ilek River. One third of them were still clean, the rest were cut off. A solution had to be found straight away. Evidently, a new water intake was to be devised upstream the river away from the Alga sludge ponds. It would be a long way for the water conduits. A rough way out, but reasonable.
    Alga, a district centre with over 50 thousand inhabitants had several industrial enterprises (mostly, "post-office boxes").  The main product according to the billboard in front of the plant management office was pyrite cinder. The rest was a big secret, but based on the cinder output one could easily calculate the volume of sulfuric acid and superphosphate produced.
    The facility was not new to me. About three years before, several reinforced concrete spans collapsed in the sulphuric acid shop. The underground waters rose high and my colleagues and I went there to tackle the problem. Actually, the water turned out to be dilute sulphuric acid that corroded the rebar and destroyed the concrete. The new workshop was built on barium cement, the insulation was made of Japanese epoxy compound. By the way, the Japanese containers were so handsome, that the locals took them away for household needs. The annular water-reducing drainage was built using acid-resistant ceramic pipes. As for the industrial effluents, they were discharged into the nearest lake, as well as the drainage.
     Even on my first visit to Alga, I was surprised by the workers. They were mostly 40-50 years old women, weather-beaten, with numerous tattoos on exposed body parts. Tattoos were not in vogue back then, and their themes were typical of jail birds. They lived in hostels of the special commandant's office and in five-story buildings for settlers banned from leaving the place. However, there were additional payments for bad climate and harmful work conditions.
From a helicopter, we inspected a possible water intake site and water conduit routes. According to our estimates, we would have to add 30 km of water conduits and an additional pumping station. The water intake would require a road to it, power lines and substations. All was to be done promptly before the onset of cold weather. A costly job, but imperative. Surveys, design and construction, – all as fast as in wartime. The project was to be drawn up based on the actual dimensions and costs upon the construction completion. And it was up to the party officials to secure the project financing.
     From above, everything is clearly visible, where the nature is alive, and where it is dead. Poisoned water moves underground towards the discharge into a river, a lake or a natural hollow. It kills all life in the soil and on the surface. Former trees, or their remains, seem silver-cold metal structures. They have no bark, even the wood is not edible. They do not rot and look like space debris. They are located on the banks of the Ilek River, and its water flows into the Ural River, and further into the Caspian Sea. It is large, it can handle everything.
    But these are just vain hopes: all the production wastes since the beginning of World War II were discharged into the nearest lakes and ravines. That was common practice everywhere, in all countries and on all continents. Military necessity, war will write off everything. Nut who will be brought to book? Politicians and leaders? But they are only time-servers. How can they be brought to book if they are not elected, or killed, or just die?
    And the dead piece of our planet, poisoned aquifers and soils will remain incompatible with organic life. Radioactive soil on the surface can be stripped and put in a repository for years. But the poisoned terrains will remain unsuitable for biological life forever!
   As of today, over 90 percent of the former population has left Alga. People just fled from this deathtrap leaving it for a very long time, maybe, forever. Perhaps one can set up a colony here, like on Mars? Sealed houses, air and water filters, lightweight exposure suits, food brought from other places. Anyway, our planet still has oxygen and water. Perhaps Elon Musk might be interested in this territory for training future colonists?