The project focus is on the Volga river basin which comprises 40% of the population of Russia, 45% of the country’s industry and 50% of its agriculture. Some key facts and figures: -Eighty percent of Caspian Sea river discharge is from the Volga (UNEP); -Two point five billion m3 raw sewage and seven billion m3 treated sewage is discharged into the Volga river annually (Russian Ministry of Environment, 1996);