Time to read: 13 minutes(s)

Residents of several Dagestani villages have been fighting against the construction of a landfill near their homes for over six months. They've held protests and recorded video messages to Putin, but construction continues unabated. The landfill is being built with numerous violations and poses a threat of environmental disaster, as an active oil well is located on the site. The once-endless poppy field, a favorite spot for tourists to take photos, has already disappeared. Now, instead of flowers, all you'll see is mountains of trash collected from all over Makhachkala.

The authorities assure that there is no danger to people, but no one believes them. 

A NeMoskva correspondent visited the village closest to the landfill, spoke with its residents, and tried to find out why they are not going to back down in their fight against the landfill.

About an hour's drive from the capital of Dagestan is the village New Urada — one of more than 80 Dagestani settlements without the status of a populated area. During Soviet times, such settlements arose on lands allocated by the government for winter cattle herding on the plains. They were called "kutans." Initially, houses were built here only for shepherds, but gradually, almost entire villages began to move here, and large settlements emerged. Many of them are still called "kutans," and the people living there are called "otgonniki."

The site of today's Novaya Urada was once home to the Isti-ssu state farm (named after a nearby hot spring). In the early 80s, highlanders began resettling there to cultivate the land, work in the vineyards, and grow grain. The settlers received a cash allowance and resettlement cards—the most important document in their new home. Some Urada residents still keep them, serving as a form of land ownership certificate.

In the post-Soviet era, the exodus of highlanders to the plains ceased. The "transhumances" remained "in limbo," and to this day, the authorities are in no hurry to grant them official status. They were resettled, but their lives in the new place were never properly legalized. Novaya Urada exists de facto, but not quite legally. Previously, it seemed that the status confusion only brought formal inconvenience to the villagers, but with the start of landfill construction, it became clear that the lack of status effectively deprived the residents of Novaya Urada of their rights.  

Today, Novaya Urada territorially belongs to Kumtorkala district, it is located on the plain, administratively - to Shamilsky, which is located in the mountainous part of the republic. To receive a pension or see a doctor at a clinic, villagers have to travel to the mountains—they are all registered in the Shamilsky District. Even the school in Novaya Urada, as in other former kutans, is not affiliated with any district education department: a separate "Territorial Administration of National Economy" (TUNO) has been created for informal settlements. The only thing Urada residents can count on in their place of residence is assistance from the police and the prosecutor's office.

We live on the plains, but we have to go to the mountains to get a certificate., — complains the head nurse of the outpatient clinic Aishat DzhavatkhanovaShe has lived in Urad all her life, and her parents are buried there. Like most villagers, Aishat's family maintains a large vegetable garden and cares for livestock. Recently, local authorities told the residents of Urad that the land they live on belongs to the republic (the land is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Property), and that they are merely occupiers. This happened after local residents began fighting a landfill being built 500-600 meters from the village's first site, next to a federal highway and 8 kilometers from Europe's largest sand dune, home to unique flora and fauna— SarykumIncidentally, this is where the famous Soviet film "White Sun of the Desert" was filmed. 

In April, we learned that they wanted to build a training ground next to us. Yes, we're not officially recognized as a settlement, but we exist, we live here, and how can they treat us as if we don't exist? We didn't come here armed; we were relocated. Aishat is perplexed. 

Much has changed since the first highlanders settled on the plain. People gradually settled in, built houses, and today Novaya Urada is a fully-fledged settlement with a new, modern school, kindergarten, hospital, and outpatient clinic.

The village is quite well-developed compared to many officially recognized settlements. The only thing it still lacks is official status. Some residents of Novaya Urada commute to Makhachkala for work, but most still run their own farms.

Their peaceful life was disrupted by the start of construction on a landfill near their homes. After equipment began setting up a special isolation area, people Have begun They actively fought against the dangerous neighborhood. They created an initiative group and hired a lawyer to defend their rights. They began protesting and recording video messages. last thing Of which, they addressed a petition to Putin on December 13. In their appeal, residents of Novaya Urada asked that the landfill not be built near villages and the Sarykum dune, so as not to destroy the surrounding nature. Pastures, vineyards, and orchards are at risk. The owner of one of the orchards, whose land is practically within the landfill's sanitary protection zone, has already filed a lawsuit in arbitration court, and the public has supported her.

Now imagine what would grow on the trees next to which there would be a landfill." , one of the local activists, Magomed Magomedov, is indignant. We climb with him to a higher ground, where we can better appreciate the scale of the landfill, which will cover 94 hectares, and its alarming proximity to populated areas. Along the way, Magomed also talks about other dangers associated with the dump. 

A dry mountain riverbed runs next to the test site. After heavy rains, it fills up, and the water rushes downstream and ends up in the October Revolution Canal, which supplies half of Makhachkala with water. Who can guarantee that toxic substances won't end up in the canal along with the water?? There are salt marshes nearby where nothing grows, why don't they build a landfill there?— Magomed asks.

We're approaching the construction site of the landfill itself. A poppy field bloomed here on approximately 30 hectares until recently, with tourists causing traffic jams and stopping their cars to take souvenir photos. Now, there's only sand blown around by the wind and dozens of pieces of actively working equipment.

A few kilometers from the future test site lies the Sarykum Dune, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the region. According to Magomed, the number of people wanting to admire the sand dune has been growing in recent years. A dirt road leads to the dune from the federal highway. At the very beginning of the road, travelers are greeted by a billboard proclaiming "the highest solitary sand mountain in the world." The drive from the federal highway takes about 15 minutes, and walking takes 30-35 minutes. An active railway runs at the foot of the dune, along with cafes and souvenir shops. 

Tourists love to walk along the dune and then climb to the top and enjoy the beautiful view of the entire area. 

- And now they will admire the garbage., - Magomed states. - The wind here blows one way for half a year, and the other for six months. And then it will carry the smell of this garbage to us, and probably the garbage itself, too.

More than a thousand people live in the village. It's located next to a landfill. outraged That's it. Everyone goes to protests together. Protests in Novaya Urda are held on weekends; people don't gather on weekdays.

The Ministry of Education warned the school principal, and the Ministry of Health warned the hospital management not to protest on a workday, or we'll be fired. So we're going out to fight for our rights on the weekends. The fight against the landfill has brought us closer together. We want to live here, and we're not bothering anyone." , says outpatient clinic nurse Aishat. Her words are confirmed by the few villagers gathered at the clinic. 

On the day of our arrival, the village was not very crowded – many had gone to the mountains for the funeral of a fellow villager.

"There are three different hot springs near the landfill, and bathing in them cures skin conditions. Are Dagestani leaders really supposed to bury this treasure under trash? The police advised me not to attend the protests, but I still do.". We are determined to block the federal highway and stand there to the death, but we still hope that it won’t come to that, the doctor stated. 

When Matviyenko came to Dagestan, our village was completely blocked by security forces, fearing that we would cause unrest.— adds Magomed.

Aishat's niece, a fourth-grader, joins the conversation. Karima, whom villagers call "our Greta Thunberg." The young activist became known throughout the republic after speaking out at protests against the construction of a landfill. Karima has five children. Her parents have instilled in them a love of nature since childhood, often going on picnics and picking up trash. By the end of the summer, the family had collected 14 bags of trash.

Karima explains to me that everything is simple, The officials don't live here and haven't seen all this nature, so they don't understand how bad it is to build a landfill here..

A toWhen I grow up, I will protect the animals of all the seas and oceans, I will protect the life of the entire environment.

The garbage problem has plagued the lives of Dagestanis for years. Overflowing containers and trash on the streets that goes uncollected for weeks are a common sight in virtually every district of the republic. 

In September, the authorities recognized The republic is facing a waste crisis. Among the reasons cited for the waste collapse are low collection rates for waste collection, a shortage of waste collection equipment, increased waste volumes due to the influx of tourists, and rising diesel fuel prices.

In the regional government announced the appearance of three in 2024

Waste sorting facilities are planned for construction in the Derbent and Khasavyurt districts, as well as in Makhachkala, as part of the national "Ecology" project. Along with these facilities, the republic will also create sites for the disposal of waste that cannot be recycled—or, more simply, landfills. One such site is the landfill near Novaya Urada. 

In September, a presentation of the designs for all waste sorting complexes and landfills under construction in the republic was held with the participation of the head of Dagestan Sergei Melikov. Event accompanied by protest by opponents of the landfill construction in the Kumtorkalinsky district. In response, Melikov stated that "Unauthorized dumps are a completely everyday issue, but many people want to turn it into a political issue."

Dagestanis have reason to distrust officials who talk about the prospects of waste reform in the region. In 2021, Botlikh district A waste processing plant was built in Dagestan. It still hasn't been commissioned because it's not included in the regional waste management plan. And while the facility isn't operational, illegal dumps continue to grow and periodically burn in the mountains. Officials acknowledge that the Botlikh facility needs to be operational to solve the problem, but the project hasn't moved beyond that for three years now.

On social media, local residents often express concerns that a similar fate awaits other factories and landfills in the republic.

Numerous violations were committed during the construction of the landfill near Novaya Urada. A lawyer spoke with NeMoskva about them in more detail. Murtazali Khotodinsky. 

The first claim concerns violations of the procedure for holding public hearingsAs the lawyer explains, the project for the facility was completed in December 2022, and public hearings were held six months earlier. The lawyer adds that the question remains: what was ultimately discussed?

He also notes that the authorities failed to ensure local residents' participation in the discussions by failing to provide them with information about the hearings, as required by the urban development code, and residents missed all the deadlines. 

Khotodinsky appealed the hearing procedure, but the court dismissed the claim, citing the expiration of the statute of limitations. The lawyer filed an appeal. 

The second violation is the lack of an environmental assessment. After construction began last April, residents began contacting the prosecutor's office asking for clarification on the basis of the work. An inspection by the supervisory agency confirmed residents' concerns—the contractor did not have a construction permit. In May, the process was suspended. Residents celebrated a small victory.

When constructing such facilities, an environmental assessment is mandatory—this document is the primary requirement for obtaining a construction permit. But it turns out that they (the authorities – NeMoskva note) have begun illegal construction.— explains Khotodinsky. — For now, the work has been suspended, Local residents formed an initiative group and contacted the Kurtakolimsky District Administration with a request to organize a public environmental review, which, by law, can be conducted simultaneously with the state review. It should be noted that its results are taken into account when issuing the state review's conclusion. 

The response arrived a month later. Citing the law on local self-government, the district authorities stated that the villages of Tibid and Novaya Urada lacked official status and had no grounds to submit such requests to local authorities. The lawyer filed a lawsuit in the district court challenging the denial, but the court sided with the administration. However, the Supreme Court remanded the case to the first instance. 

According to the lawyer, the law on state environmental assessments does not stipulate that only people registered in the village can request a public assessment, and people are being denied requests on trumped-up grounds.

This is happening due to government inaction. According to the local government law, land designated for transhumance should have been reclassified as populated areas long ago. If this had happened, the boundary of the populated area would have been defined, and it wouldn't have run right next to the last house. But now, there are no boundaries, and they build (the landfill – NeMoskva note) wherever they want, so Novaya Urada could end up in the landfill's sanitary zone. Currently, the landfill is less than a kilometer from the last plot, and the distance from the first house is just over a kilometer.,” explains Khotodinsky. 

The main violation, according to the lawyer, is related to the results of the environmental assessment, which was carried out at the end of August. Rosprirodnadzor issued a positive conclusion from the environmental assessment in the presence of an oil well on the territory of the landfill. 

There are several oil wells on the site, and one of them, Almalo-1, is located in the center of the construction site. According to the law, waste cannot be disposed of in subsurface areas. During construction, equipment hit the well, and traces of oil appeared on the surface. This means that the well, although mothballed, is still active and poses a hazard. Who will be held responsible if a fire occurs in the oil field? — the lawyer asks. 

He notes that by law, even if the well had been permanently sealed, the environmental assessment report should have included an entire section on emergency response measures, including evacuation. But this information was missing from the document. 

A lawyer filed a lawsuit against Rosprirodnadzor to challenge the results of the environmental assessment. The case will be heard in the Moscow Arbitration Court.

***

Despite legal proceedings and protests from residents, construction of the landfill continues at a rapid pace. Recently, the local administration reported that "construction workers are working nonstop and plan to complete two of the four maps by the end of next year, which will allow the landfill to begin operations."