Kabardino-Balkaria cleans up slopes of Mount Elbrus

Volunteers, mostly pupils, have held a subbotnik to clean up Mount Elbrus, located in Kabardino-Balkaria, from household garbage left behind by tourists.

For a few hours of work on September 15, activists gathered and brought down 20 tons of garbage, which was transported to Tyrnyauz by trucks for disposal.

According to Zalimkhan Djappuev, Director of the National Park "Prielbrusye", the problem of Elbrus pollution remains topical.

"On the slopes of the mount you can find not only empty cans and plastic bags, but even broken chairs, beds, and much more. The employees of the National Park are not able to clean it all, because the number of tourists is growing every day. The garbage not only spoils the landscape, but also detriments the flora and fauna of the reserve," said Djappuev.

According to his story, the sanitation of Elbrus will be held annually in late spring, summer and early autumn, while the information campaign for the cleanness of the National Park "Prielbrusye" will scale up.

As reported by the administration of the Elbrus District, subbotniks to clean up the Mount Elbrus have been held for several years. Last year, volunteers and employees of the National Park gathered about 60 tons of garbage within two weeks. The campaign was also assisted by rescuers from the Elbrus Search and Rescue Regiment of Ministry for Emergencies (MfE).

The cleaning of the mount is complicated by the fact that at the altitude of over four thousand meters above sea level people suffer from a severe lack of oxygen. However, the subbotnik on the slopes of Elbrus has attracted a lot of enthusiasts - pupils from Terskol, Tyrnyauz, Verkhni Baksan and Elbrus settlement.