A jam on the Bureya River in Khabarovsk Krai has been eliminated in record time. Military engineers completed an extremely complicated operation, clearing the bed from a gigantic landslide. They were working in the harshest conditions, at -40°F amidst taiga. In fact, a new channel was built thus preventing the territory from flooding. The water level in the reservoir feeding the largest hydropower station in the Far East reached the norm.
Our correspondent Evgeniy Nipot has learned at what cost it was done.
Bureya that is usually still now looks more like a rapid mountain river. Streams of water are widening the channel that has been pierced by the military. 1.5 months ago, a huge rock formed there as a result of a landslide. When thousands of tons of rocks fell into the river, a gigantic wave spread over the opposite bank. Water and ice cut the trees clean, and now this place looks more like a desert. — 40°F freezing cold, high humidity, and strong gusts of wind: these were the conditions experts of the Ministry of Defense had to work in.
Dmitry Tanke-E, serviceman: "We do all of this for our homeland. Yeah, it was hard to work in this cold. But it's alright, we made it".
Over 500 people participated in the operation. The nearest settlement is about 60 miles from here. Large-tonnage special equipment was transported by military transport aircraft. Explosives were transported by train from Primorsky Krai and were loaded onto helicopters. TNT was transported to the opposite bank by snowmobiles. Military engineers had to work waist-deep in freezing cold water. Overall, there were 11 explosions, 300 tons of TNT.
- Fire!
Military engineers used the advanced Orlan-10 drone to coordinate the mining activities. First, the military engineers pierced a channel in the dam of rocks and ice. Then, they widened it up to 500 feet with a series of explosions. Now, Bureya clears its way itself. Over 53,000 cubic feet of water per second pass through the channel. An artificial lake formed upstream from the landslide is getting shallower. Now, it doesn't pose a threat of flooding nearby settlements.
Nikolay Shulginov, RusHydro: "Such a large-scale operation at such times, it's unthinkable to be achieved by anybody but the Engineering Corps of the Ministry of Defense".
The experts distinguished themselves during the unique operation were granted decoration. The Ministry of Defense issued a medal for the participation in the elimination of the emergency on Bureya.
Dmitry Bulgakov, Deputy Defense Minister: "You fulfilled the order and deserved deep respect and gratitude not only of the Far East residents but also all the Russians who anxiously observed your heroic labor".
Experts continue to monitor the situation but they have confirmed: there's no threat of another landfall in this area. The rock is stable.
Evgeniy Nipot, Artemiy Chinkov, Vesti, Khabarovsk Krai.
