Old quarries were reclaimed in Belarus in the first half of the year over an area of 61.38 hectares

July 20, Minsk / Olga Belyavskaya - BELTA /. In the first half of this year, as part of the Year of the Native Land in Belarus, 81 quarries have been reclaimed over an area of 61.38 hectares, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection informed BELTA correspondent. Of these, 17 hectares were reclaimed in the Brest region, 4.2 hectares in the Vitebsk region, 8.5 hectares in the Gomel region, 8.25 hectares in the Grodno region, 19.1 hectares in the Minsk region, and 4.3 hectares in the Mogilev region. Work has been carried out to identify and involve 1803 hectares of potentially fertile vacant and weed-overgrown lands, as well as 5062 hectares of natural meadow lands in river floodplains and slopes of reclamation canals, into economic circulation. To ensure a favorable water regime for crop cultivation on reclaimed lands, reconstruction and restoration of reclamation systems have been carried out over an area of more than 4 thousand hectares. Agricultural reclamation measures have been organized on 1.1 thousand hectares. The declaration of 2009 as the Year of the Native Land in Belarus will contribute to solving a whole range of environmental problems. The plan of republican measures includes work on putting the land in order, eliminating illegal dumps, improving the territories of settlements and their greening, and maintaining order in the coastal strips of water bodies. Great importance is attached to the conservation and rational use of natural resources. During the Year of the Native Land, a series of republican events will be organized to improve the environmental culture of the population, including the "Clean City" campaign, the "Native Land" ecological expedition, and others. -0-