Sanitary situation in the districts of construction of Baikal-Amur Mainline (1970s – 1980s)

Abstract

Sanitary situation in the developing Siberian and Far Eastern settlements that occurred in the course of industrial modernization of the late XX century represents one of the insufficiently research topics within Russian historiography. The goal of this work lies in examination of sanitary situation in the districts of construction of Baikal-Amur Mainline during implementation of the large-scale transport project. Detailed analysis is conducted on the problems of providing services and amenities to the developing settlements, as well as sanitary-hygienic conditions of social and industrial. Special attention is given to the assessment of impact of sanitary situation of new settlements upon population health of the territories in question. The research methodology leans on the modern concepts in the area of urban planning, social and common history. Alongside the traditional documentary analysis, the author employs the methods of oral history and historical anthropology. Empirical framework is comprised of archival documents, Soviet periodicals, personal sources, and the field research results. Unlike other research that determine natural and climatic conditions as the key factors of unfavorable sanitary situation, the author places emphasis on imperfections in construction operations. Settlements of Baikal-Amur Mainline were characterized by high-density construction, littering of territories, ubiquity of “temporary barracks” and “squatter settlement”, disruption in heat and water supply, etc. Sanitation and hygiene standards were not upheld in building and upkeep  of facilities of social and cultural designation, in worksite organization in construction, industrial and transport enterprises. This led to high incidence of cold-related and infectious diseases, as well as industrial traumatism. Due to the efforts of authorities and public organizations, some settlements achieved high results in municipal improvement and sanitary situation. In majority of cases, sanitary and hygienic living conditions in the districts of Baikal-Amur Mainline remained unsatisfactory throughout the entire period of construction of the railway.