Ukraine's Ministry of Environment clarifies situation on water pollution in Seim and Desna rivers

The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine stresses that the situation with water quality in the Seim and Desna rivers is under control and there is no threat to the drinking water supply.

Source: Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, on the air of the Kyiv TV channel, quoted by the Ministry's press service

Quote: "A preliminary assessment of water quality found that no excesses of chemical and highly toxic components were detected in the Seim and Desna rivers.  This is organic pollution."

Details: Krasnolutskyi assured that all services of the Ministry of Environment are constantly monitoring water quality, more than 50 samples have been taken and sent to the laboratory for analysis.

He said that, at the initiative of the State Environmental Inspectorate, seven meetings of the district and oblast state technogenic and environmental safety and emergencies commissions were held in Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv oblasts. Residents are prohibited from taking water from rivers for technical needs, as well as fishing and swimming.

The deputy minister also said that a meeting of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies will be held on 29 August to determine further response steps. Instructions will be given to each executive body and local government to act.

"We hope that the situation with water quality in the Seim and Desna rivers will improve in a few days," Krasnolutskyi added.

Previously: On 28 August, during a national joint 24/7 newscast, Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, said that there was no threat to the drinking water supply of the population, as no drinking water was being taken from the Seim and Desna rivers in Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts.

Background:

• Earlier, Ukrainian news outlets reported with reference to the State Agency of Melioration and Fisheries of Ukraine that on 14 August Russian troops had started a large-scale pollution of water in the Seim River (which is a left tributary of the Desna River).
• At the same time, the State Ecological Inspection of Ukraine tested the water samples from the Desna River within Kyiv Oblast and detected no significant deviations.
• The Kyiv city authorities reported that the water supplied to the city residents is safe.

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