The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the first six-year management plans for eight river basins in Ukraine: Dnipro, Don, Dniester, Vistula, Southern Bug, Azov and Black Sea rivers, as well as Crimea until 2030, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine said on Friday.
“These are roadmaps on how to improve the quality of surface and groundwater in practice. They will help to assess the state of Ukrainian water resources, in particular, as a result of the impact of military operations, as well as to identify ways to achieve a “good” state of water,” said Svitlana Hrynchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.
It is noted that the next step should be the implementation of river basin management plans. “This is one of the key indicators in the Water Quality sector during the negotiation process on Ukraine’s accession to the EU,” the statement said.
The implementation of river basin management plans is aimed at addressing the following major water and environmental issues: surface water pollution by organic, nutrient and hazardous substances; hydromorphological changes; groundwater pollution and depletion; climate change; reducing the impact of infrastructure facilities on water conditions; pollution of water bodies by household waste; biological pollution (spread of invasive species); and the impact of military operations.
“River basin management plans will enable Ukraine to fulfill its European integration obligations and harmonize its water policy with the EU Water Framework Directive. In preparing them, Ukraine took advantage of the experience of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, France and Estonia,” the agency said in a statement.
