Image copyright AFP Image caption "Don't kill our kids" says a mother's placard in Volokolamsk

Russian officials say a state of emergency will be declared in the town of Volokolamsk, north-west of Moscow, where thousands have protested over toxic fumes from a landfill site.

Hydrogen sulphide in the town's air was at least 10 times above the permitted level on Thursday, although locals said it was far worse than that.

There are plans to evacuate mothers with infants to health facilities.

On 21 March, 57 children who had nausea and headaches were taken to hospital.

District leader Andrei Vikharev told an angry crowd on Thursday that "we are launching the state of emergency procedure".

A state of emergency allows a Russian town or district to get central government funding for equipment, medical supplies and temporary accommodation. It can also mean travel restrictions for locals and cancellation of some outdoor events.

The mayor, Pyotr Lazarev, said mothers with infants would be offered evacuation to health facilities, and later other children and invalids could also be evacuated.

He said residents would "get individual protection materials" - which he did not specify - and "the plan is to install ultraviolet lamps in schools". UV radiation can break down hydrogen sulphide and also boost the body's vitamin D production.

The organisers of Thursday's protest outside the town hall said about 6,000 people attended. The town, 129km (80 miles) from Moscow, has about 23,000 residents.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Dump trucks on the huge landfill site near Volokolamsk

The waste dump at Yadrovo is several kilometres outside the town and the authorities have rejected local demands to close it.

One activist, Artyom Lyubimov, told Russian Vedomosti news that he doubted whether a state of emergency would really take effect.

"Our MPs were in favour of it, but Vikharev and the emergencies ministry were against," he said.

He said the priority was to evacuate residents from housing blocks nearest to Yadrovo.

The activists posted video of their demonstration on VKontakte, the Russian version of Facebook. Their VK group is called "Green" Volokolamsk.

A week ago the Moscow region's governor, Andrei Vorobyov, sacked Volokolamsk district leader Yevgeny Gavrilov, replacing him with Mr Vikharev.</s>March 30 (UPI) -- Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry distributed gas masks Friday to residents living near a landfill near Moscow because of toxic fumes coming from the dump.

Authorities said a state of emergency exists over rising levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air, to at least ten times above the permitted level.

Protests, which began last month, reignited after nearly 60 children were taken to the hospital last week for nausea and headaches stemming from the fumes.

"Now we have introduced a high alert mode. On Friday we start entering Emergency State. We heard you," A leader of the Volokolamsk district, Andrei Vikharev, said at a protest.

Vikharev added that schools in the area would be closed until the issue is resolved.

A state of emergency allows Russian towns to seek funding from Moscow for equipment, medical supplies and temporary accommodations. Travel restrictions may also be put in place, officials said.

Thursday, 6,000 people attended protests outside the town hall and authorities rejected demands to close the garbage dump.

Yulia Odintsova, who's lived near the landfill for more than 40 years, told the Guardian neighbors have abandoned their homes due to the fumes.

"It has changed my life completely," Odintsova said.

Ten-year-old Tatyana Lozova pointed two fingers at the Gov. Andrei Vorobyov during protests and then made a throat-slitting gesture -- an image that spread quickly on social media.

The Yadrovo landfill was opened in 2008. Last year, Russian officials published ecological data revealing the region's air had dangerous concentrations of chlorine, hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen. Iron was also discovered in the town's water supply.

The old part of the Yadrovo site is set to close in April. A new segment opened last week and will function at least until 2030.

Last week, the Russian government said they were working to find a solution to the landfill issue.

"The presidential staff has been in touch with the leaders of the respective regions, that is, Moscow and the Moscow Region, and the government. Various options are being discussed to solve this significant problem. Naturally, the president is briefed on the issue," Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, said, adding that work was "in progress" to address the garbage dump problem.</s>Russian authorities have declared a "high alert" and are distributing masks and respirators to residents of a town outside Moscow where toxic fumes have leaked from a landfill site.

The measures went into effect on March 30 in Volokolamsk, a town of around 20,000 people about 120 kilometers west of Moscow, after thousands of residents on March 29 held a rally demanding that authorities formally declare a state of emergency.

Another rally is planned for April 1, with residents demanding the closure of the landfill, first opened in 2008, that has been emitting a noxious sulphurous smell.

Last week, hospitals treated dozens of children who complained of dizziness and nausea because of fumes from the Yadrovo landfill site near the town.

A spokesman for the regional emergencies ministry said that "a state of high alert" had been imposed in the town as of March 30 and that monitoring of the environment "will be stepped up" with "non-stop" testing of air quality.

The spokesman said local authorities have also begun distributing medical masks and respirators to those who need them.

The emergencies ministry said there was no need to evacuate residents or declare a formal state of emergency because air pollution levels as of March 30 did not exceed permissible limits.

Officialshave said they willl stop adding to the waste dump by the end of the month and install a decontamination system by June, which they said should protect residents until a new facility is eventually built.

Several weeks ago on March 7, Volokolamsk authorities declared a temporary state of emergency, saying the level of hydrogen sulphide in the air was recorded as 2.5 times higher and the level of nitric oxide was double usual levels because of a gas leak at the landfill.

Demonstrations demanding the closure of landfill sites have also been held in several other cities in the Moscow region.

In Kolomna, a historic city of some 140,000 inhabitants about 100 kilometers southeast of Moscow, more than 100 protesters last week attempted to block a road used by trucks taking rubbish to a landfill site.

Police briefly detained some 30 participants on March 28 and charged three of them with breaches of the peace and disobeying police, said the OVD-Info website that monitors law enforcement activity in Russia.

"We're treated like second-class citizens," a female protester told a local official in a video posted online. "Why are we [treated] worse than Muscovites?"

In the city of Klin, northeast of Moscow, residents have also expressed concern over landfills.

The growing public discontent throughout Russia has forced the authorities to acknowledge problems, including the lack of an adequately funded and equipped service to monitor air quality around the country.

Russia sends almost all its rubbish to landfills and there is no obligation for people to recycle household waste, creating a growing problem despite the country's vast territory.

"We are in constant touch with the regional authorities and the government over this," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on March 30.

"Everyone understands that this is a complicated problem, that it cannot be solved overnight," he said.

With reporting by AFP and Interfax</s>Russia on Friday announced a "high alert" in a town where noxious fumes have leaked from a landfill site, distributing masks and respirators to residents who have held repeated protests.

The said it was closely watching the situation in Volokolamsk, a town of around 20,000 people about 120 kilometres west of

Residents have long demanded the closure of a landfill site that has been emitting a noxious sulphurous smell, in a rare case of coordinated grass-roots civil action.

Last week, doctors treated dozens of children who complained of dizziness and nausea because of fumes from the Yadrovo landfill site near the town, which is in the region.

A spokesman for the regional emergencies ministry said "a state of high alert" had been imposed in the town and that monitoring of the environment "will be stepped up" with the "non-stop" testing of air quality.

Local authorities had also begun distributing medical masks and respirators to those who needed them, he said.

residents had on Thursday held a rally demanding that the authorities formally declare a state of emergency, which they have not so far done.

Another rally is planned for Sunday.

"We are in constant touch with the regional authorities and the government over this," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Everyone understands that this is a complicated problem, that it cannot be solved overnight."

 

 Officials say a new facility will eventually be built which will not emit fumes.

Russia sends almost all its rubbish to landfill and there is no obligation for people to recycle household waste, creating a growing problem despite the country's vast territory.</s>MOSCOW: Russia on Friday (Mar 30) declared a "high alert" in a town where noxious fumes have leaked from a landfill site, distributing masks and respirators to residents who have held repeated protests.

The Kremlin said it was closely watching the situation in Volokolamsk, a town of around 20,000 people about 120 kilometres (75 miles) west of Moscow.

Residents have long demanded the closure of an ageing landfill site that has been emitting a noxious sulphurous smell, in a rare case of coordinated grass-roots civil action.

Last week, doctors treated dozens of children who complained of dizziness and nausea because of fumes from the Yadrovo landfill site near the town, which is in the Moscow region.

A spokesman for the regional emergencies ministry said "a state of high alert" had been imposed in the town and that monitoring of the environment "will be stepped up" with the "non-stop" testing of air quality.

Local authorities had also begun distributing medical masks and respirators to those who needed them, he said.

"We are in constant touch with the regional authorities and the government over this," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Everyone understands that this is a complicated problem, that it cannot be solved overnight."

The emergencies ministry said there was no need to evacuate residents and that on Friday air pollution did not exceed permissible limits.

Officials promised to stop up the landfill by the end of the month and install a decontamination system in June, until a new facility is eventually built.

Thousands of Volokolamsk residents on Thursday held a rally demanding that the authorities formally declare a state of emergency, which they have not so far done.

Another rally is planned for Sunday.

Demonstrations demanding the closure of landfill sites have also been held in several other cities of the Moscow region.

In Kolomna, a pretty historic city of some 140,000 inhabitants about 100 kilometres (60 miles) southeast of Moscow, more than 100 protesters last week attempted to block a road used by lorries taking rubbish to a landfill site.

Police briefly detained some 30 participants on Wednesday and charged three of them with breaches of the peace and disobeying law enforcement forces, said OVD-Info rights group that specialises in monitoring detentions of political activists.

"We're treated like second-class citizens," an angry protester told a local official in video footage posted online.

"Why are we (treated) worse than others? Why are we (treated) worse than Muscovites?" the woman asked.

In other cities close to the Russian capital such as Klin northeast of Moscow, locals have also expressed concerns over the state of landfill sites.

The growing public discontent throughout Russia has forced the authorities to acknowledge problems including the lack of an adequately funded and equipped service to monitor air quality around the country.

Russia sends almost all its rubbish to landfill and there is no obligation for people to recycle household waste, creating a growing problem despite the country's vast territory.
The government of Russia declares a state of emergency in Volokolamsk over toxic hydrogen sulphide fumes leaking from a dump at at least ten times permitted concentrations.