The Russian occupiers have been fighting against Ukrainians for 8 years and 10 months. And they are fighting against the environment, occupying hydroelectric power plants and “denazifying” reservoirs with mines.
One of the ecosystems suffering from war is the “main artery” of Ukraine – Dnieper River.
Dnieper – source of drinking water for humans and home for many species of flora and fauna. 57% of its waters flow through Ukraine.
Dnieper is also a habitat for many rare animals: red-bottomed river otters, beavers, nutria.
How does the huge Dnieper ecosystem “live” in a war and what will happen to it after the victory? How to treat Dnieper water from shells, heavy metals and blood?
To understand this topic helped:
- Valeria Koldezna, expert of the wetland direction of the Ukrainian environmental group;
- Alexey Vasilyuk, chairman of the Ukrainian Environmental Protection Group;
- Oksana Konovalenko, WWF-Ukraine Water Direction Manager;
- Olga Wuhan, Head of the Laboratory of Regional Hydrochemical Research of the Department of Hydrochemistry of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute;
- Sergei Chumachenko, military ecologist, professor of information technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity at the National University of Food Technology;
- Anna Ambrosova, chairman of the public union “Enough poison Curve Horn”;
- Anna Tsvetkova, Chairman of the public organization “Women’s Water Partnership”;
- Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
First of all, it is worth understanding that the Dnieper – is not just a river flowing through the territory of Ukraine. It is a large ecosystem and cascade of 6 reservoirs.
“For ordinary citizens, the Dnieper River – is what flows from Belarus and flows into the Black Sea. For a hydrologist – it is 60% of the territory of Ukraine. Because a large number of tributaries flow into the Dnieper River – Pripyat River, Desna River, etc., – emphasizes the leadership of the direction “Water” WWF-Ukraine Oksana Konovalenko.
By area, the Dnieper basin covers almost half of Ukraine’s territory (48%) and 19 oblasts. In addition, heavy industry enterprises are built on the banks of the Dnieper, which require electricity and water. Productions use river water, and in the Dnieper they dump used.
Therefore, the issue of the ecological condition of the river has always been relevant. Prior to the Russian invasion, there were many problems with discharges and climate change. The war only exacerbated these problems.
The Dnieper is also affected by climate change and the regulation of runoff through which rivers flow into it.
- Ineffective operation of water treatment facilities
The main threat to the Dnieper was and remains the discharge of impurities from enterprises and other types of collectors through the tributaries of the Dnieper and in the Dnieper directly.
“If treatment plants are destroyed or damaged, biogenic, organic matter will be more polluted by the Dnieper”, – says Oksana Konovalenko.
When nitrate or phosphate fertilizers are mass-washed into water bodies, it sometimes causes much more damage than a point source of pollution, such as a plant.
“If there is proper water treatment in municipal sewage, controlled discharge of pollutants, nothing terrible happens even during the war”, – says Olga Wuhan.
In the occupation is Nova Kakhovka, where the Dnieper-Crimea canal begins and is located Kakhov hydroelectric power plant.
The floodplain and left-bank areas of the Nizhnydniprovsky National Park, which is the largest in Ukraine and covers the Dnieper delta from the Kakhovsk Reservoir to the Boo estuary, – are still occupied, and the central part is on the front line.
Kinburne braid in Mykolayivshchyna – a tiny cape at the mouth of the Dnieper, which partially separates the Black Sea from the Dnieper-Buzky estuary, is a place of fierce fighting.
The most critical situation in the Prydniprovsk industrial region – is Kirovogradska, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson region.
It is in these regions that Russian troops are constantly firing on coastal areas and territorial communities, and water and sewerage facilities ( sewerage facilities, water treatment plants ) – have been damaged or destroyed.
However, so far complete data on hostilities along the territory of the Dnieper are not freely available. It will be possible to fully assess the damage caused by the Dnieper after the deoccupation of settlements in its mouth.
Russian shelling and pollutant emissions (powder gases, explosive gas products from the explosive conversion of TNT and hexogen) lead to formation hazardous gaseous substances.
They settle on soil, surface water, migrate to groundwater and the Dnieper River, says Sergei Chumachenko. This can lead to the depletion of species biodiversity in the river ecosystem.
If any military equipment is affected in the south, there is more active contamination with fuel-lubricants, which are in tanks and engines of tanks, BMP, BTR, cars, fuel refuelers and other samples.
“But until shells enter the river in such numbers that they give a very significant change in chemical status,” – says Olga Wuhan.
Many cities have lost their sewage treatment plants. The drains of the Basilic region of the Zaporizhia region fall directly into the Dnieper.
“We can only assume that Energodar, Marganets and Nikopol have a similar problem. Then these sewer drains go to the water intakes Kakhovka, Kherson, Mykolayev, Kryvyi Roga.
They also get to the occupied Crimea through the North Crimean Canal”, – say experts from the Ukrainian Environmental Protection Group Valeria Koldezna and Alexey Vasilyuk.
At the same time, according to Anna Ambrosova, it is currently difficult to talk about all the consequences of hostilities.
“What is the situation now – no one will say with dignity, because in the combat zone no one allows water samples to be taken”, – she says.
As a result of the war, a large number of fragments, fragments of missile and artillery ammunition, enter the Dnieper.
Environmentalists recorded approximately 3-4 military aircraft (among them were both drones and helicopters with a landing ), which were shot down over the Kyiv Reservoir and fell into the river.
That is, during the active battles in Kyiv region, oil, weapons and military equipment, as well as the bodies of dead enemies, fell into the water.
“Their corpses are more likely to lie at the bottom, there are natural but rather toxic decay processes.
Bodies do not wash downstream, because the current as such is no more. The regime of reservoirs is completely controlled by man, only small descents of water are allowed”, – say environmentalists.
Kyiv region was deocouped, but the emphasis of danger shifted to the mouth of the Dnieper ( to Khersonshchyn and Mykolayivshchyna).
Untorn shells, corpses of soldiers, equipment at pontoon crossings fell directly into the water.
“The longer the shelling of the right-bank part of the Dnieper continues, the more artillery shells will be “bulled” into the waters of Ukraine’s largest river”, – add environmentalists.
After all, shells can be stored in water for decades, so Dnieper forms cells of chaotic change of shells and missiles that did not break.
All this increases the level of mine risk for people in the coming years.
Destruction of water treatment plants
The condition of the Dnieper is negatively affected by forced power outages.
“Unfortunately, some cities do not have normal treatment facilities because they did not work or work poorly before the war.
When interrupting with light, if there is no backup power, these stations can be de-energized. Then the river may receive untreated drains”, – says Oksana Konovalenko.
At the same time, Mindovkill is assured that in the Dnieper basin in 2022 is recorded only slight increase in pollution compared to the same period last year.
“The content of heavy metals – lead, nickel, chromium and cadmium – does not exceed the ecological standards of quality, but there is a slight increase compared to last year”, – commented in the ministry.
No increase in radiological contamination was recorded. The content of radionuclides strontium and cesium, according to Mindovkill, is within normal limits.
“Unfortunately, everything that could have been destroyed on the Dnieper – was destroyed during the construction of reservoirs. Red-blown river otter, beaver live only in certain areas in the upper reaches of reservoirs, where there is a natural floodplain and complexes of islands.
Such places did not feel the impact of the war”, – is emphasized by environmentalists of the Ukrainian Environmental Protection Group.
If animal homes are in danger, they could become “internal settlers”.
“It is difficult to say that certain species of red-blown animals are in danger of complete destruction due to war –. In my opinion, these red-bottomed species can migrate to safer places – the main thing is that the disturbance factors have a short-term effect”, – says Sergei Chumachenko.
However, fish can die locally – both due to explosions and toxic contaminants.
“If the projectile enters the water and detonates, biota, fish, birds will die. The whole food chain from small microorganisms to those who feed on them can die. But it can only be local”, – emphasizes Oksana Konovalenko.
If a projectile detonates in the reservoir, industrial fish will die. But in such places do not live special species of fish.
How other ecosystems associated with Dnieper will suffer
For neighboring countries, pollution and destruction of the Dnieper can lead to biodiversity loss, ecosystem disturbances, migration of pollutants and hazardous chemical compounds.
“Dnieper ecosystems and Dnieper aquifers have a high assimilation potential for self-healing.
However, ultimately the waters of the Dnieper flow into the Black Sea and the factors of transboundary impact begin to work through the Dnieper-Bug estuary for all countries on the shores of the Black Sea”, – says Sergei Chumachenko.
Contaminated water enters Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and can reach neighboring countries.
Currently, information is being collected in Ukraine about episodes of pollution of Dnieper waters due to the war. Ahead – big work.
Mindovkill and the State Water Agency are developing water management plans. The program of events should be approved in 2024.
“It will be such a post-war reconstruction aimed at improving the state of Ukraine’s water resources, in particular as a result of hostilities”, – says Olga Wuhan.
Each cycle of the management plan is focused on 6 years. The ecologist says that if you build water treatment plants now and run them, the result will be noticeable in 6, 12, 20 years.
“In Europe, such plans have been implemented since 2006 and we still can’t say that the Danube is perfect in terms of water quality.
I think it will take 12 to 20 years for us to experience the first trends in improvement”, – predicts Olga Wuhan.
The post-war restoration of the Dnieper – is a gradual and long process, because a lot of terrain is damaged, especially in the East. In particular, the territories of Zaporizhia, Kherson, Mykolayiv, Dnipropetrovsk regions, considers military ecologist Sergei Chumachenko.
To overcome the pollution on the Dnieper you need to create floating islands from plants and algae, which absorb pollutants well from water, in particular heavy metal compounds, phosphates, nitrates, nitrites and other hazardous substances.
On damaged shores will need to plant willow, comma, which restore the structure of the bottom, the soil, absorb pollution and then dispose of them.
Ukrainians will have to be exchanged for years Dnieper.
“First of all, it will be necessary to exchange communities located on the river: for example, Manganese, Nikopolsk OTG, because there are chernozems and they need to work.
Priority – explosive objects on the banks of the river, and second place – those in the water”, – says Sergei Chumachenko.
Also from the Dnieper will need to get the remains of military equipment and other remnants of military ammunition and ammunition.
“Destroyed military equipment and weapons will also have to be obtained, because heavy metals, explosives from ammunition – hexogen, TNT fall into the water. It’s not very good for the environment”, – says the ecologist.
Sergei Chumachenko hopes that underwater drones can be used to search and demining. However, some part of the ammunition will remain at the bottom – for at least the next decades.
“River ecosystems are recovering faster than terrestrial ones because water is moving, self-cleaning processes are faster. And Dnieper – is our national pride, our relic from Cossack times, it is the largest water artery of our state and Ukraine should be interested in restoring it as soon as possible”, – says military ecologist.
Sergei Chumachenko believes that improvements may be in a year or two after the end of hostilities.
This publication was prepared within the framework of the project “Reduction of the risks of natural disasters in conflict-affected areas of Ukraine”, implemented by ACTED, the IMPACT Initiatives and the BSE “Right to Protection” with the support of Switzerland.
This article was created with the support of Switzerland. The author is solely responsible for the content of this publication. The author’s opinion (iv) does not necessarily reflect the views of the donor.
Elena Barsukova, Jana Osadcha, “Ukrainian truth. Life”.