WATER BODIES OF THE NIZHNY NOVGOROD REGION: CLASSIFICATION, PROBLEMS OF PROTECTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL REHABILITATION

The article presents an analysis of the water bodies of the Nizhny Novgorod region and the main approaches to solving the problem of protection and environmental rehabilitation of small water bodies in the region. Water is a valuable natural resource that is of great importance in industrial and agricultural production, therefore, the protection of water resources and ensuring their environmental safety are among the most important problems facing humanity. Currently, there is increasing attention to small rivers, whose ecosystems are changing and degrading under the influence of anthropogenic activities. The Nizhny Novgorod Region is one of the most water-rich regions of Russia. There are more than 10,000 water bodies of natural and artificial origin, a significant part of them belong to small water bodies, many of which are practically not studied. Currently, special attention is paid to the problems of pollution of such water bodies as small rivers. In terms of the volume of polluted and insufficiently treated wastewater, the Nizhny Novgorod Region ranks first among the regions of the federal district. In order to solve the problem, the State Program "Environmental Protection of the Nizhny Novgorod Region" is being implemented in the region, the structure of which includes the subprogram "Development of the water management complex of the Nizhny Novgorod Region", aimed at restoring water bodies and ensuring the protection of the population and economic facilities from floods and other negative effects of water. As part of the development of this subprogram, a study of water bodies was conducted on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The research results indicate that water bodies are unevenly distributed on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod region. Water bodies experience the greatest anthropogenic impact from housing and communal services, industry, which is most typical for large cities (Nizhny Novgorod, Kstovo, Arzamas). Small water bodies are polluted mainly as a result of agricultural and recreational activities. The proposed approach to the protection of water resources of both large and small water bodies, which provides for a set of measures to improve the efficiency of their use, protect them from pollution and depletion, eliminate accumulated environmental damage, preserve and restore the biological diversity of aquatic ecosystems, is a factor in preserving ecological balance and improving the quality of life of the population.