Russians fight Chinese-funded bottling plant at Siberia’s Lake Baikal

2019-03-21 1

More than one million people have signed a petition against a Chinese-funded water bottling plant at Russia’s Lake Baikal in Siberia, amid local concerns about a surge in Chinese tourism and investment in the area. Work on the US$21 million project was halted by Russian court order last Friday, in response to the backlash. Protestors say the plant will restrict access and “inflict irreparable damage” to the lake, which holds one fifth of the planet’s fresh surface water. Water bottling has…