Specialists from Russia’s Consumer Rights and Human Welfare Service have identified a systematic discharge of treated sewage into the Caspian Sea near the Berezka beach. According to the agency, the violations identified ‘pose a threat to the sanitary and epidemiological safety of the population and disrupt the ecological balance of the region’.
In its Telegram channel, the agency responded to footage published by the independent local media outlet Chernovik on Thursday. The footage shows two sites where dark liquid emerges from the ground, forming streams flowing into the sea.
The agency stated that it has been attempting to address the issue for more than six months. They claimed the initial inspection was conducted in January following complaints from local residents. Based on the inspection results, the agency filed a lawsuit with the Soviet Court of Makhachkala demanding that the violations be corrected. The court granted the claim, and in May, the Supreme Court of Daghestan upheld the decision of the lower court, which then came into legal force.
Despite the court decisions coming into force, the Makhachkala city administration did not stop the sewage discharge. In June 2025, the Consumer Rights Service imposed a fine of ₽10,000 ($122) on the city administration for failing to comply with the orders. During the summer of 2025, the agency issued five additional warnings to the administration regarding the inadmissibility of violating mandatory requirements.
The agency stated that at the beginning of the swimming season, it collected sea water samples at beaches in Makhachkala and Kaspiysk. Laboratory results showed exceedances of hygiene standards. Based on these results, the agency prohibited swimming at the beaches in the affected areas. Beaches, including Berezka, were equipped with warning signs indicating the swimming ban.
The discharge of sewage is linked to the regular mass deaths of Caspian seals, which were listed in the Russian Red Book, which catalogues rare species, in 2020. According to federal and regional sources, between late 2022 and December 2022, 313 carcasses were found on the Daghestan coast and between Makhachkala and Kaspiysk, and approximately 2,500 in December 2022. This February, Specialists the Consumer Rights and Human Welfare Service recorded an additional 130 partially decomposed carcasses, likely carried by currents from other areas of the Caspian Sea.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources of Daghestan, no signs of violence or fishing activity were found on the animals’ bodies. Causes under consideration include hypoxia caused by natural gas emissions from the seabed, as well as possible viral infections.
In addition, traditional sources of Caspian Sea pollution include oil production, toxic substances entering from the Volga and Kura rivers, and the activities of the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy, based in Kaspiysk, Daghestan.
OC Media
