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Karabash is a small town with a population of about 12 thousand people located in the southern Urals, in the Chelyabinsk region, about 90 km from Chelyabinsk. This town is one of the largest copper smelting centers in Russia, known for its severe environmental situation.

Large quantities of pollutants, mainly gases, are generated during the production of copper from copper ore. All these gases were being released into the atmosphere without cleaning for decades.

As a result, the total weight of emissions reached the number of more than 14 million tons, which of course affected the state of the environment in the town and surrounding area. You can see the scale of pollution if you look at Karabash from space. Photos by: Konstantin Abrosimov.

Upon arrival in the town from the south you can see the so-called “Rusty Valley” and the drainage of chemical wastes called the Sak-Elga River.

The Soviet Union is still here.

Chemical Street.

Zolotaya (Golden) Mountain that was once covered by forest.

In the past, the living quarters were located right next to the plant administration. Today, it is a whole street of abandoned ruins.

Ash dump.

Karabash movie theater.

The source of pollution.

Today, the main population of Karabash lives 2-3 km north of the plant.

The remains of the mine complex.

The sign on the hill: “Save and Protect.”

Tags: Chelyabinsk oblast

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