Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Locals Protest Construction of Russia's Massive Landfill

Charles Maynes

   MOSCOW - Who would want what's possibly Europe's largest landfill in
   their own backyard?

   That question lies at the center of a protest against construction of a
   massive garbage dump in northern Russia -- an environmental issue that
   has come to symbolize growing frustration towards Moscow's sway over
   Russia's far-flung regions.

   The fight over Shiyes -- a remote railway outpost in Russia's
   Arkhangelsk province that is to play host to the landfill -- first
   erupted a little over a year ago after local hunters came across a
   secret construction site in the region's swamp-filled forests.

   It didn't take long for locals to learned of the dig's true purpose: to
   house a 52-square-kilometer storage area for refuse shipped in from
   Moscow, some 1126 kilometers away.

   Government officials say Shiyes was chosen based on its remote location
   -- with the new 'Ecotechnopark' a cutting edge example of innovative
   waste storage.

   They also point to cash and incentives -- such as a computer lab,
   annual New Year's gifts, and healthcare access to top Moscow hospitals
   for nearby locals -- as a smart investment for regional development.

   But anger over the landfill has united a diverse swath of citizens
   across northern Russia -- with many saying they see it as a threat to
   natural resources that define a way of life in extreme climate.

.