The situation has reached a critical point: at a session of the Voznesensk City Council, it was announced that the sewage treatment works are in a state of emergency
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- Julia LukyanenkoReporter
The sewage treatment works in Voznesensk are in a state of disrepair. Illustrative photo: novvod.dp.uaThe wastewater treatment plant in Voznesensk has been in operation for around 50 years and is currently in a state of disrepair. The management of Biological Wastewater Treatment Plant Ltd (BOS) has appealed to the mayor and the city council to allocate funds for its reconstruction.
This was stated during a session of the Voznesensk City Council by Yurii Pomazkin, director of Biological Wastewater Treatment Plants Ltd, according to NikVesti.
At the session, Yurii Pomazkin showed councillors the condition of the treatment works in Voznesensk. According to him, their construction was completed in 1978. They were designed to receive wastewater from the leather factory, other enterprises and the city’s residential areas. But now the treatment works need to be modernised.
«Everything requires major refurbishment. There are projects for major construction work and for the reconstruction of these facilities... The biological treatment works have now been in operation for almost 50 years. They are both structurally and technically obsolete and require the introduction of modern technologies, technical upgrading and significant investment in refurbishment. Despite the challenging conditions, the company continues to carry out wastewater treatment tasks within the established standards for maximum permissible levels of substances in water bodies. At the same time, carrying out these tasks is made significantly more difficult by the lack of investment in the refurbishment of the facilities and the modernisation of equipment,» said the director of BOS Ltd.
According to him, there are still approximately 6–9 months left for the treatment works to operate normally
«As you have seen for yourselves, the treatment facilities are currently in a state of disrepair. According to estimates by specialists at «LLC «BOS»», given the current technical condition, normal operation within the established standards is possible for approximately the next 6–9 months. With my 35 years’ experience working at treatment plants, I believe we have reached a critical point. Continued neglect of the treatment plant issue will inevitably lead to serious environmental consequences in our region,» remarked Yurii Pomazkin.
He added that the executive authorities of Voznesensk also bear responsibility for the condition of the treatment plants.
«I believe that responsibility for the quality of treated effluent lies not only with the specialists at BOS Ltd, but also with the executive authorities under the leadership of the mayor. I cannot, and do not wish to, take criminal responsibility for any substandard discharge of treated effluent into the Southern Bug River should this problem remain unresolved,» stated the director of BOS Ltd.
Yurii Pomazkin appealed to the councillors to allocate funds for the reconstruction of the treatment plant. According to him, a draft resolution is currently under consideration by the councillors, which provides for 1 million euros to be set aside in the reserve fund.
However, the mayor of Voznesensk, Yevhen Velychko, noted that the city had already allocated funds to BOS Ltd, a fact the director had failed to mention. In particular, he mentioned the solar power station to be installed at the treatment works, and the project for a pumping station, which is to be jointly funded by the Ministry of Development and the city council.
«So you’re certain that we, the councillors, are allocating millions? You’ve spoken about what hasn’t been done. Please tell us what has been achieved in recent years. Take the tanks we installed for 15 million, I believe, from the local budget. Because from your speech, it sounds as though we’ve done absolutely nothing over the last few years. Similarly, you were tasked with a 400 kW solar power station, and a tender has already taken place. We’ve been promised the winner for the 400 kW solar power station, which will also be installed at the sewage treatment works. So please be careful when you say that nothing has been done, because it makes us look a bit foolish,» replied the mayor in response to the director’s remarks.
Furthermore, Councillor Vadym Dombrovskyi believed that funding should prioritise the water utility first and foremost, as part of BOS Ltd is privately owned. However, according to the mayor, the issue concerns equipment that belongs to the city.
During the session, councillors also considered the proposal to set up a working group to analyse the feasibility of water supply and sewerage projects in Voznesensk. The city council was keen to know what outcomes were expected from the working group.
As Yevhenii Velychko noted, the working group will prioritise and seek resources for projects in the water supply and sanitation sector.
As a reminder, Voznesensk City Council plans to secure up to 5.5 million euros in grant funding from the Kingdom of Denmark via the Nordic Environment Finance Corporation (NEFCO). The funds are intended to be used for the comprehensive thermal modernisation of the buildings of the Voznesensk Multidisciplinary Hospital and the ‘Insight’ Lyceum. Councillors wrote a letter to Mayor Yevhen Velychko, proposing that these funds be channelled towards resolving water supply and sanitation issues.
