A Makhachkala court has imposed a fine of ₽10,000 ($170) on Makhachkalavodokanal, a joint-stock company, for polluting the Caspian Sea. The court ruled that the company disposed of raw sewage into the sea.

Inspectors from the Federal Agency for Fisheries conducted inspections along the Caspian coast, where they discovered discharges of untreated sewage into the sea in seven areas along Makhachkala’s coast, including the central city beach.

Agency spokesperson, Khadizhat Mazgarova, told OC Media that the case was considered by the Kirovsky District Court of Makhachkala.

‘In principle, we are satisfied with the court’s decision. However, we asked the court to fine the company ₽15,000 ($260). Due to the difficult financial situation of Makhachkalavodokanal, the court imposed a fine of ₽10,000 ($170) instead’, Mazgarova said.

In November 2016, the head of the company, Magomed Murtuzaliyev, was detained for two months in connection with a mass water poisoning in Makhachkala. According to official data, in a few weeks about 500 people were hospitalised as a result of the contamination, more than half of them children.

In the summer of 2016, the Daghestani Department for Nature Supervision discovered that Makhachkalavodokanal was discharging sewage into the Caspian sea. In this case the court found the company guilty and fined them ₽200,000 ($3,500).

According to Khadizhat Mazgarova, the courts are currently considering a similar case in the city of Derbent to the south. Details of the trial have not yet been disclosed.