Сouncillors have made three appeals to the Cabinet of Ministers to protect the water resources of the Mykolaiv region

The Mykolaiv Regional Council has appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers regarding the conservation of water resources. Photo: NikVesti

The Mykolaiv Regional Council has made three appeals to the Cabinet of Ministers regarding the conservation of the region’s water resources. Councillors are asking the government to return the basin management of the Southern Bug River to Mykolaiv, to allocate funds for the development of technical documentation and the dredging of the Mertvovod River, and to launch a pilot project to create a groundwater map.

The deputies adopted the decisions at a meeting on 16 April, NikVesti reports.

Alla Riazhskykh, Chair of the Mykolaiv Regional Council’s Environmental Committee, noted that all three decisions are important for the region.

«I would like to remind you that the Mykolaiv region is the most deprived of water resources. That is why these appeals have been drawn up. As for the conservation of our water resources and the volume of our groundwater, we do not, in principle, know what the current level is for objective reasons. You know that the city of Mykolaiv has been unable to receive a full supply of drinking water for four years now. That is why all these issues are so important to us,» the councillor noted.

Consequently, the councillors have appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers to reinstate the Southern Bug River Basin Authority in the region. It is currently based in Vinnytsia. However, the councillors believe it would be more appropriate to manage the river’s resources from within the Mykolaiv region itself.

In addition, they are asking the Cabinet of Ministers to allocate funds from the state budget for the development of design and cost estimates for the dredging of the Mertvovod River channel in the Voznesensk district. According to preliminary estimates, the project will reduce the risk of flooding for 420 households in nearby settlements and protect around 2,500 hectares of agricultural land. Furthermore, it is expected to improve the river’s ecological condition and alleviate social tensions among local residents.

The members of the Council also appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers to launch a pilot project for an in-depth study of groundwater and the development of a groundwater map. The last documents relating to groundwater date back to 1983.