Vladikavkaz residents hold silent protest after another "Electrozink" emission

Today, about 500 residents of Vladikavkaz wearing bulky dressings rallied in central city and held a non-sanctioned protest action against emissions of the "Electrozink" factory. The participants have agreed, within an hour and a half after the today's emission of sulphur dioxide by the factory, with the help of the Internet to hold such action.

In the morning, after the emission of sulphur dioxide in Vladikavkaz, lessons were cancelled at the Railway Technical School, as one of the schoolgirls has fainted and was hospitalized to the children's hospital with diagnosis of poisoning with sulphur vapours. This incident was stormily discussed in the website "Odnoklassniki.ru", in the social group "Electrozink: what do we breathe in?"; as a result of which the members of the group decided to hold the action.

The young men marched in silence to the republic's Government House. Having stood for about five minutes there, they took a further march along the central city avenue.

"Till when should we get poisoned by this air? Either the bosses of the factory should allot money, or the government should at last put a full stop in the issue: close the factory or install filters," Arthur Dzebisov, who came to the action with his small daughter, expressed his opinion.

"They should be closed to hell; we're sick and tired. How long should it last? Every day we have fog and smoke. People have no life. We'll soon become three-eyed mutants," said another participant of the action named Soslan Sukkoev.

According to Alan Kaziev, a resident of Vladikavkaz "the action looks chaotic so far, more like a flash mob, but we'll think what to do to get real positive results."

"The government tells us that the factory gives good money into the budget, but how much we spend for treating our respiratory diseases? I live in the vicinity of "Electrozink", and I can do nothing. All the same, this air will settle in my lungs," said Alan Kaziev.

"We need no examination certificates to know that "Electrozink" has made another emission, as we see the factory's chimneys and the smog over the city. Therefore, when we see emissions every two or three days, but the authorities refuse to confirm it, naturally, people get terribly irritated," Madina Sageeva, a North-Ossetian journalist, who also took part in today's action, said.

She has noted that many young mothers had contacted most active users of the Internet, actually, they became they became the organizers.

However, not all the participants of the action are same sure that the action will bring fruit. In the opinion of Madina Plieva, a student of the Vladikavkaz Management Institute, this action will bring nothing positive.

Vyacheslav Gobozov, leader of the South-Ossetian Political Party "Fatherland", said in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he supports this people's action. According to his version, it is high time to have the "Electrozink" problem settled.

"I'm pleasantly surprised that at last the public started to express itself, if, certainly, it's not a customized action ordered from above as a part of the game around who will control the 'Electrozink'," said Mr Gobozov.

Meanwhile, the "Electrozink" has confirmed that today they had a one-time emission of sulphur dioxide with a 10-fold excess of the exposure limit.

The Ministry for Preservation of the Environment and Natural Resources of North Ossetia has also confirmed the facts of emission; its telephone hotline received today numerous calls from townspeople complaining of congested pipes in the throat and general deterioration of health condition.