Ukraine

For Cleaner Southern Buh and Inhul Rivers


Initiative: Initiative for Life

Location: Mykolaiv

Year: 2020-2021

Website: www.ifl.org.ua 

Are you all for ice swimming in the winter or taking a dip in the summer? Paradoxically, indulging in these types of exercise in the Southern Buh and Inhul Rivers, which flow around the city of Mykolaiv, can be dangerous to one’s health. That’s because water from the storm drains is discharged into them without being treated. According to laboratory analyzes of samples, the upper recommended values are exceeded ​​several times over. The issue of polluted rivers becomes a part of public discussions in Mykolaiv from time to time. In recent years, however, this topic has taken on a new sense of urgency due to the more intense periods of drought being followed by torrential rains, which flush everything that should end up in the sewer system into the rivers. The main problem lies mainly in the completely inadequate rainwater management system, which is supposed to ensure that rainwater and surface water do not flush dirt, including household waste, into our rivers. The Initiative for Life has therefore established cooperation with the city's environmental committee and, through a campaign, is pressing for the city to set aside funds in its budget for the completion of a water treatment plant and the construction of sewers in those parts of the city where they are currently missing.