Kyiv ‘At Risk of Environmental Disaster’

Kyiv is at risk of water contamination, as Oster – a river which flows waters to the raw water intake facility on the left bank of Kyiv – is heavily contaminated, according to MP Oleksandr Bryhynets.

"The river is foaming from chemicals, the river surface and bed are covered with dead fish, local people are stifled by the sharp odor of sulfur. They complain that after staying close to the water, they get headache and nausea. Local activists warn that some patients in a local hospital suffered from the chemicals – their bodies are covered with blisters," Brygynets told. According to local people, on July 5, the water in the Oster became even dirtier, and no live fish are there.

Bryhynets added that the activists sent water samples for independent expert assessment. It concluded that ammonia exceeds the permissible level.

He requested the Ministry of Ecology and State Emergency Service to immediately take measures to eliminate the damage cause by water contamination, as the Oster river flows into the Desna river which provides drinking water for Kyiv residents.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda. Kyiv