More than 3,000 lakes have disappeared in Tatarstan over the past half-century.

      The republic's Minister of Ecology named the main reason — intensive development and wells that "steal" water from springs.

      Over the past 50 years, 3,134 lakes have disappeared from the map of Tatarstan. These figures were presented by the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan, Alexander Shadrikov, at a meeting with journalists. He cited anthropogenic impact — human activity — as the primary cause of the disappearance of water bodies. According to the minister, in the mid-20th century there were about 34 thousand lakes in the republic. Today their number has significantly decreased. Shadrikov identified active construction near water bodies as a key problem. "Lakes are fed by springs. Now houses are being built around them, and residents drill wells, which disrupts the natural water balance," he explained.

      Experts note that the problem is systemic. In addition to private construction and uncontrolled water withdrawal, the condition of the lakes is influenced by climate change, agricultural activities, and a lack of measures to preserve and restore small water bodies. The head of the Ministry of Ecology emphasized that ensuring the rational use of water resources is necessary to preserve the republic's lake system. This requires both educational work with the population and systemic solutions at the legislative and operational levels to protect vulnerable ecosystems.

      Gulchechek Izmailova

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