Karabash is an industrial town in the Chelyabinsk region. Since 1901, a local copper plant has been poisoning the town and the area around it. Today, many residents have left the town, but it still attracts fans of extreme tourism. Take a look at these creepy photos published by Russian blogger @ktvsiy on Twitter!
The plant emits sulfurous anhydride into the atmosphere, which is why acid rain is common here.
Karabash is surrounded by dry, bare mountains and dead, scorched earth, writes the blogger. “I also note, that in Karabash, it is very difficult to breathe. After half an hour, your nose and throat fill up with a pungent chemical taste.”
“The average life expectancy in Karabash is 38 years. Residents suffer from chronic lung and skin diseases, and cancer.”
“The plateau between the mountain and the plant is dotted with dried orange riverbeds. They can be 2-3 meters difference in height, so you will not be able to simply jump and climb.”
“Unfortunately, I came to Karabash not in the most beautiful season — the orange rivers have dried up. But the real Martian-like landscapes are still there: one could shoot a movie.”
“On this photo, it’s not a huge lake of borscht soup, but Karabashmed plant’s storage reservoir. All toxic production wastes are gathered there.”
“It’s a shame that photos cannot smell.”
“Lead concentration in Karabash exceeds the maximum allowance by 156 times. In drinking water, the concentration of formaldehyde and heavy metals exceeds the maximum by 15 times.”
“The sanitary zone is about 1 km around the plant. I cannot say that it’s uninhabited, but here’s how most buildings look like.”
“You can check the smog density and how far the factory is from the street on this photo.”