Part 4

New sanitation water quality standards have been in effect in Russia since 1998. Now state water supply authorities are to check the composition and quality of water for 80 chemical compound (prior to that, samples were checked for 50 substances). The main concern of local sanitary and epidemiological supervision departments today is to persuade the management of water treatment facilities to make new analyses and to buy reagents for additional disinfection. The latter have no funds to buy them.

"Today there is no clear-cut definition of potable water in Russia," Yakov Khromchenko director for research with the R&D Institute of Public Water Supply and Water Treatment says. "The water quality is controlled by the State Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision; the RF Committee for Standardization, Metrology, and Certification; the State Committee for Issues of Architecture and Construction; the State Committee for the Management of State Property; the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resource, and local fish industry authorities at the same time. Each department has its own standards and its own quality requirements, which are often in conflict with each other. Enterprises using water and dumping waste into surface water sources have to deal with conflicting guidelines and numerous inspectors. If the standards established by the State Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision are not to their liking, they can use others. As for inspectors, they can always "come to terms" with them. Until uniform standards for drinking water, are enforced, you had better desist from drinking water straight from the tap.

While bureaucrats hassle with each other over who is the "water boss," calculating the expenses involved, and while scientists work out new purification methods unlikely to materialize in the foreseeable future, the populace continues to use the available water supply systems. Doctors advise Russians to protect themselves and buy household water fillers. Any type of filter will do. Better still, use certified bet-tied water. True, even this water is not entirely safe; It contains additives that may be a health hazard, but this is an altogether different story.

Vocabulary:

to persuade - убеждать

to enforce - проводить в жизнь

to desist (from) – воздерживаться от

guideline – директива, указание

to hassle with – ссориться с

population – население

potable water- питьевая вода

2.Обсудите с одногруппниками проблему нехватки чистой питьевой воды в вашем регионе.