Oksana Sargina: ‘The territory was in a deplorable state’

New pools and parking lots

Changes in the territory of the Blue Lakes are visible to the naked eye — covering, benches, lighting fixtures, toilets and other non-residential structures have appeared here. At the entrance to the zones of the Big and Small Lakes, there are now parking lots for 55 and 64 places, respectively. It is also planned to install an eco gates (organised entrance with parking) near the Krutushka.

“It was completely different before. People parked wherever they wanted, drove into the territory, and, accordingly, it was a complete mess. Now everything is organised, you can see the main central stele, which means that a person enters the territory of the Blue Lakes. This was also a big problem: people did not realise that this was a specially protected natural are)," recalled Oksana Sargina, the head of the Directorate of Ecotourism of Tatarstan.

After passing the parking lot and the barrier on the Small Blue Lakes, the road leads to the information center and bathrooms. The restroom points are due to begin to function fully after all works are completed.

There are also lecture halls planned on the territory — one is already ready, and the second has yet to be equipped. It is also planned to install garbage cans, which are not yet available throughout the territory of Small Lakes.

New pools have become another point of improvement. There are three of them on Small Lakes now, and two on the Big Lake. There used to be two of them. Comfortable descents, changing booths and handrails were made for them. The spontaneous barbecue areas were also removed. In addition, within the framework of the project, several viewing areas have been installed, which previously had pools.

“We removed the benches, put the soil in order, because everything here was in bonfires, about eight to nine zones — these were bonfire zones when people came and burned, well, and had barbecues. Now this is unacceptable here," Sargina explained. “The territory now looks much cleaner. Now it is a wonderful free space that allows a person to enjoy the view and engage primarily in eco tourism. Yes, this is a journey through nature for the purpose of contemplation, when you come and admire nature, enjoy it and treat it very carefully.”

Restrictions on visiting time and bathing areas

The landscaping of the territory and its inclusion in the ecotourism program also led to significant restrictions. For example, visitors are now prohibited from swimming in the lakes themselves. The pools are located in their outflows, where the same water flows down.

“From April 22, a restriction on swimming in lakes has come into force, and now it is prohibited. There are still organised pools. Our citizens reacted to this with great understanding, and we did not see any negativity," explained Ramil Sharafutdinov, the deputy chairman of the Tatarstan State Committee on Bioresources.

According to him, during this time, 27 protocols on administrative violations were drawn up. Sharafutdinov reassured: before drafting a document, conversations are held with violators and only legislative measures are applied to “aggressive” ones. The fine for such a violation is 3,000 rubles.

At the same time, the lakes are not fenced, and, as journalists noticed, it is intuitively unclear that swimming in them is prohibited. The speakers replied that the problem is planned to be solved by informing visitors through booklets and signs.

The authorities also imposed restrictions on the time of visits: in the territory of protected areas in the summer it is impossible to stay from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and from September to April — from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.

“If someone decides to take a dip or visit here at an unauthorised time, of course, an employee may not see that, as when crossing the road at a red light, and you will not get anything for it. In an ideal picture of the world, of course, the employee will see this and point out the violation. A reasonable person, of course, will understand this," Sharafutdinov noted.

The project has been discussed since 2020

The improvement of the Blue Lakes was vigorously discussed back in 2020 as part of the Mirrors of Tatarstan project. At that time, the project of assistant to the rais of the republic, Natalia Fishman-Bekmambetova, had just reached the final of the All-Russian ASI competition for the creation of tourist and recreational clusters and the development of ecotourism, it was a little more than a month before winning the popular vote with 18,476 likes.

During the discussion of the project, residents of nearby settlements, who will be affected by the creation of the cluster, expressed concerns about the possible deterioration of the environmental situation near their homes due to the possible “uncontrolled” flow of tourists to the Mirrors of Tatarstan. However, they were assured that the project for the development of these lands has an ecological bias, and its main goal is to create and maintain a balance between tourist interest and the preservation of natural beauty, to develop a “responsible economy”.

The start of works was given a year later — in October 2021. 2.5 million rubles were allocated from the republican budget for the development of design and working documentation. The first stage of landscaping was completed in November 2022 — around the same time when changes were made to the regulations on the state nature reserve Blue Lakes, the work of the first stage of the project for the implementation of the new tourist and recreational cluster was completed — the shores of the Blue Lakes were strengthened. There they began to build the frame of the future amphitheater, the “observation zone”, and build a service centre.

The second stage was completed in August 2023. In the same summer, employees of the Tatarstan State Committee for Bioresources conducted a raid on the Blue Lakes. As a result, they drew up administrative protocols for three vacationers under Article 8.39 of the Administrative Code of Russia “Violation of the rules for the protection and use of natural resources in specially protected natural territories”. They were fined for driving and parking motor vehicles and floating vehicles. It was explained to the vacationers on the boards that they had violated the rules.

Then divers and merchants were outraged, because during the implementation of the project, it was decided to lay a water pipe to the Blue Lake, the laying of which would certainly lead to a violation of the biocenosis of the soils of protected areas.

A year later, in April 2024, the Tatarstan authorities amended the regulations on the state nature reserve Blue Lakes. Any activity that has a negative impact on natural complexes has been banned on the territory of the reserve. In particular, any residential construction, gardening and horticulture, with the exception of cases provided for by the decree, washing of vehicles and agricultural machinery, discharge of sewage and drainage waters and other actions that violate the ecosystem of the place, fall under the ban.

Moreover, by the end of 2025, the specially protected natural area of republican significance Blue Lakes near Kazan will change the mode of use. As experts say, uncontrolled visits have a detrimental effect on the natural monument. The authorities believe that it is necessary to find a compromise between tourism and careful attitude.

As a result of the project, 133 kilometres of walking routes and an eco-trail, 24,000 square metres of buildings are to appear in the protected areas — investment facilities, two boat stations on Kazanka — near Blue Lake and near Krutushka, two educational camps (children's wellness at Semiozerka and a scientific student in Krutushka), five catering outlets, three bicycle rental points, five sites equipped for picnics.