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VOLGA

Russian: Volga, ancient Greek: Ra, Tatar: Itil or Etil.

Length (km): 3 660
Drainage Area (km2): 1 380 000
Discharge (m3/s): 8 500
Countries: 3
Population: 61 000 000
Sea at Mouth: Caspian
Ramsar Sites: 2

The Volga River is the longest river of Europe. It lies entirely within the Russian Federation, comprising about one-third of European Russia. The source of the river is in the Valdaj hills north of Moscow at a height of 228 m above sea level.

The Volga Basin comprises four geographical zones: the dense, marshy forests; the forest steppes; the steppes; and the semi-desert lowlands. The course of the Volga is divided into three parts: the upper; the middle; and the lower Volga. Starting as a small stream, it becomes a bigger river when it is joined by some of its tributaries. It also passes through a chain of small lakes.

After being joined by other tributaries, the Volga flows through the Rybinsk reservoir. It is then joined by the Oka River, after which it almost doubles in size. After it is joined by its major tributary, the Kama, the river flows southward along the foot of the Volga Hills. The Volga’s major distributary, the Akhtuba, runs parallel to the main river on its way towards the Caspian Sea. Above Astrakhan, the Buzon River, another main distributary of the Volga, marks the start of the Volga Delta. The mouth of the river is situated on the Caspian Sea at 28m below sea level.

The major tributaries are the Oka, the Belaya, the Vyatka, and the Kama, each of which is longer than 1 000 km and has a catchment area exceeding 100 000 km2. As the Volga approaches the Caspian Sea it divides into a delta comprised of about 275 channels covering about 12000 km2.

The Volga Basin covers 10% of the total territory of the Russian Federation, and has a population of over 60 million. The biggest environmental problems stem from major industrial complexes, big dams, large cities and maintaining navigability. The problem being faced now is that this system and all of the associated infrastructure exists, and, although it is extremely expensive and inefficient, it must somehow be maintained.

The most urgent need is to establish a new system of communication between the different levels of governance– local, state and national – and to begin to develop a modern management structure. The problem is finding the funds needed to maintain, de-centralize and diversify the old Soviet system.

Just three percent of surface water in the Volga River Basin is considered an environmentally safe source of drinking water. Some 42 million tons of toxic waste pile up each year in the Basin, causing immense health problems.