Russia’s Lake Baikal: fears of a Chinese takeover, but pollution, poaching and overtourism are the real threats
- Earth’s biggest, deepest, lake is in big trouble. People there point to Chinese tourists and say China covets Lake Baikal, but its problems lie closer to home
- Pollution of its once pristine waters, and illegal fishing, have taken their toll, as winter trips with a biologist and traditional fishermen reveal
Religion
The moment the earth rumbles, prayers stop and the holy man – icicles in his beard and an icon of Saint Innokenti at his chest – pricks up his ears. Eyes widen and search the horizon. Processional crosses freeze in mid-air. A rumble across the open ice grows louder, seems to come closer, then subsides and eventually falls silent.
“Harmless,” says one of the nine parishioners, voice echoing into the sudden silence.
“Are you sure?” asks another.
Archpriest Yevgeny Starcev, the 55-year-old head of the Irkutsk Church of Saint Haralambos, nods, beard-ice tinkling. “God is with us.”
The group resumes walking and, once again, the loudest sounds are their crampons digging into the ice, their prayer recited in rhythm with their steps: “God-bearing Virgin, rejoice, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women …”
They started out that morning from the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. Once sheltered Barguzin bay was behind them, the wind had swept all the snow off the open lake, leaving nothing but a layer of crystal-clear ice, through which they could gaze deep into the black-green waters below.
Baikal is 1,600 metres deep and 25 million years old, making it the planet’s deepest and oldest lake. It holds more freshwater than any other: nearly 24,000 cubic kilometres, or about a fifth of the world’s reserves. Despite these staggering dimensions, the body of water performs the same miracle every year, freezing over completely, usually from January until well into May. Both in freezing and thawing, Baikal lags behind the seasons. Its depth makes it slow to heat and cool.