Why in news?
Recently, the Volga River seen a dramatic drop in water levels, worsening pollution, ecological crises, and significant impacts on communities, industries, and biodiversity along the river. 
 
About Volga River

• The Volga River is the longest river in Europe and is widely recognized as Russia's national river, both for its immense geographic scale and its deep cultural significance.
• Flowing entirely within Russia, it stretches approximately 3,530 kilometers (2,194 miles) from its source in the Valdai Hills northwest of Moscow to its mouth in the Caspian Sea, which is the world’s largest inland body of water.
• The Volga basin covers nearly two-fifths of European Russia and is home to about half of the country’s population.

Key Features and Geography

• Major cities along the Volga include Moscow, Kazan, Volgograd, Yaroslavl, Saratov, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, and Astrakhan.
• Its basin contains some of the world’s largest reservoirs, which support hydroelectric power, irrigation, and navigation.
• The Volga’s delta is the largest inland delta in Europe, supporting rich biodiversity, with unique species such as pelicans, flamingos, and lotuses found only here in Russia.

Climate and Environmental Factors

• The Volga faces severe environmental challenges, including pollution from industrial waste, sewage, fertilizers, pesticides, and a decline in wildlife, particularly endangered sturgeon species.

• Deforestation, drained wetlands, and damming are further disrupting the river’s hydrology, with loss of spring floods and increased droughts rapidly drying up tributaries and floodplains.
• The river freezes for about three months each year along most of its length, impacting ecology and navigation.

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