The Soviets rarely thought of such costs. They were desperate to make their system work and at every turn they failed. There's a lake not far from Chelyabinsk, if memory serves, that is almost entirely covered with concrete because of radioactive discharges starting under Stalin.
I saw a special about both problems on You Tube a couple years ago. They interviewed people at what used to be a fishing port on the lake and showed how far you had to go to reach water.
The Soviet Union diverted water for irrigation. The result was evaporation exceeded inflow, so the lake shrunk.
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DeleteThe Soviets rarely thought of such costs. They were desperate to make their system work and at every turn they failed. There's a lake not far from Chelyabinsk, if memory serves, that is almost entirely covered with concrete because of radioactive discharges starting under Stalin.
ReplyDeleteI saw a special about both problems on You Tube a couple years ago. They interviewed people at what used to be a fishing port on the lake and showed how far you had to go to reach water.