Abandoned wells, a bridge and a polluted river: the regional council’s environmental committee is heading to the Yelanets community once again

The bridge over the Hromoklia River in the village of Vozsiatske. Photo: Alla Ryazhskikh’s Facebook page

In March, the environmental committee of the Mykolaiv Regional Council visited the Yelanets community, where they inspected the condition of the bridge over the Hromokliia River in the village of Vozsiatske and the dams. The condition of the bridge was described as critical. It has emerged that it is not on anyone’s books, nor are the wells in the community, the condition of which is also a cause for concern.

This came to light during a meeting of the Mykolaiv Regional Council’s Committee on Ecology, Environmental Protection, Rational Use of Natural Resources, Tourism and Recreation, NikVesti reports.

The committee chair, Alla Riazhskykh, reminded those present that the Yelanets community had been given until 1 April following an on-site meeting attended by representatives of the Regional Water Resources Office and the Environmental Inspectorate. The officials were supposed to submit an action plan to the regional council regarding the bridge and the dam, but had failed to do so even a week later. The councillor therefore asked why they had shown such disrespect to the regional council.

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«There were some unforeseen circumstances. People fell ill. But we will send the information,» replied Oleksandr Seliutin, First Deputy Chair of the Yelanets Settlement Council.

Ultimately, the Yelanets Settlement Council was given until 8 April to submit the information to the regional council after all. At the same time, Oleksandr Seliutin noted that the bridge across the Hromokliia could be taken onto the town council’s balance sheet. As it turned out, it is not currently on anyone’s balance sheet.

«Therefore, we can begin the procedure to place it on the town council’s balance sheet so that we can subsequently apply for funds for its restoration,» said the First Deputy Chairman of the Yelanets Town Council.

Councillor Tetiana Demchenko also noted that 170 signatures had been collected in support of the petition regarding the repair of the bridge over the Hromokliia. Questions were also raised about clearing the riverbed. Although road maintenance organisations had removed the waste, some of the rubbish had ended up in the river.

The chair of the committee asked whether the community could clear the riverbed at its own expense.

«If we look at the list of tasks facing the community, no budget will be enough,» remarked Oleksandr Seliutin.

To this, Tetiana Demchenko replied that five years ago, the village head of Vodiano-Loryne hired an excavator and cleared almost 1 km of the riverbed. Therefore, in the councillor’s view, the riverbed needs to be cleared through joint efforts.

Alla Riazhskykh reminded Oleksandr Seliutin that there are also two dams to consider. According to the deputy head of the village council, an agreement had been reached with a company regarding drainage for one of the dams.

However, the councillors also had questions regarding the condition of the wells in the community. Alla Riazhskykh noted that after the councillors’ visit, residents began writing to her about the neglected state of the wells: there had been instances where dead animals were found there.

«This is the first I’ve heard of it,» said Oleksandr Seliutin.

The committee chair replied that she could show a video as proof and added that if the dead animals were not removed, it would lead to unsanitary conditions, especially in summer.

As it turned out, the wells in the community are also not on the balance sheet.

«The village heads will be instructed to clean the wells themselves (clean the wells, — note). These wells are not registered with us either; they are not on the balance sheet of any village council. No one has taken responsibility for either cleaning them up or closing them down,» said Oleksandr Seliutin.

As he noted, people draw water from the wells at their own risk. There are water distribution points in the community.

Tetiana Demchenko added that the Yelanets district is waterless and there is no prospect of water appearing there. Therefore, it would be advisable to put the most productive wells on the balance sheet in each village council, to refurbish them and to take water samples for analysis.

Ultimately, the commission dismissed the Yelanets community leadership’s excuses regarding force majeure as disrespectful. The commission recommended conducting an inventory of hydraulic structures and wells in the Yelanets community and considering the possibility of placing promising wells on the balance sheet. By 20 April, the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration’s Department of Ecology, together with the Regional Water Resources Office and representatives of the Yelanets community, must hold a meeting. The commission will then visit the community again.

It should be noted that in the village of Vozsiatske in the Yelanets community, as well as in Yelanets itself , there is a problem with the organisation of waste collection, resulting in the area being littered. Deputies are also expected to resolve this issue at the on-site meeting.