People's Deputy Chornomorov has called on Prime Minister Svyrydenko to return control of the Southern Buh to Mykolaiv

Artem Chornomorov, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, photo from the NikVesti archive

People's Deputy Artem Chornomorov stated that the Southern Buh River Basin Water Resources Administration should operate in Mykolaiv rather than in Vinnytsia, as it is in the lower reaches of the river that its condition, pollution levels and water use issues can be properly assessed.

He made these remarks during an away session of the Cabinet of Ministers in Mykolaiv attended by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, NikVesti reports.

According to Artem Chornomorov, river basin management should be carried out on a ‘source-to-mouth’ basis, in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive.

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He emphasised that Mykolaiv is the «downstream end» of the Southern Buh — that is, the place where one can obtain real data on water quality and pollution levels across the entire river basin.

«The Southern Buh River Basin Water Resources Administration should be based in Mykolaiv — in the lower reaches of the river. It is this area that serves as an indicator of the final water balance of the entire river basin and the place where the degree of pollution and water quality can be realistically assessed,» stated the deputy.

He also drew attention to the problem of saltwater intrusion from the Dnipro-Buh Estuary into the Southern Buh.

«The Southern Buh River faces an extraordinary problem — the intrusion of salt water from the Dnipro-Buh Estuary. Dolphins from the Black Sea sometimes swim as far as Voznesensk. It is impossible to solve this problem from Vinnytsia — it cannot even be seen from there,» said Artem Chornomorov.

The deputy also noted that it is in the lower reaches of the Southern Buh that the greatest potential for the development of irrigation and agriculture lies, and therefore water resource management must take into account the interests of the southern regions.

«This is fundamental to a comprehensive approach to the use of water resources. An example is the European river the Rhine, where the centre for monitoring and protecting water is located precisely in the lower reaches, in the Netherlands,» he added.

As a reminder, the State Agency currently comprises two territorial units: a regional water resources office, such as the one in Mykolaiv region, and a basin management office. The latter operated in Mykolaiv until 2018, but was subsequently relocated to Vinnytsia, according to Oleksandr Malikin, Deputy Head of the Regional Water Resources Office in Mykolaiv region.

In April 2026, the Mykolaiv Regional Council appealed to the Cabinet of Ministers requesting that the Southern Buh River Basin Authority be returned to Mykolaiv.