TOP-3 environmental problems of Ukrainians: water scarcity, waste, and air pollution
The respondents usually blame local authorities for these problems.
The main environmental problems in Ukraine, according to its residents, are the lack of drinking water, air pollution, and waste. Andriy Malyovany, the head of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine, wrote about the relevant research results on his Facebook page.
The research was conducted by the Gorshenin Institute and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Representative Office in Ukraine.
51% of respondents named the deficit of drinking water as the main problem, 45.9% of respondents named the increase in household and industrial waste, and 38.1% of research participants named atmospheric air pollution. These data allow us to determine priority areas for analysis, in which an eco-laboratory, which monitors and analyzes water and air samples, provides great assistance.
"These data also correlate with the results of the State Environmental Inspectorate's work. In particular, last year the SEI conducted more inspections in the field of waste management and atmospheric air. And in the field of water resources, the inspection calculated more than 188,000,000 hryvnias in damages for such violations as discharges of pollutants into water bodies, river pollution, etc.," Malyovany wrote.
It is noteworthy that 63.7% of respondents blamed local authorities for these problems. The State Environmental Inspectorate agrees that local authorities are currently ineffective in changing the environmental situation for the better.
"For example, currently 22% of the population does not have access to a centralized waste collection system, which should be organized by local self-government bodies. In addition, the State Environmental Inspectorate has repeatedly recorded egregious cases of non-compliance with environmental legislation by local authorities," the publication says.
Malyovany wrote that in 2020, his department even sued the Lviv City Council and the Lviv Regional State Administration with a demand to eliminate violations in the field of waste management. In his opinion, this is happening because "there are still fines of 85 hryvnias in the country." The head of the SEI claims that such small amounts cannot contribute to officials refraining from violations.
"For the situation to change and local authorities to start acting more effectively, it is necessary to increase penalties for violations of environmental legislation," Malyovany noted.
According to him, today the world is coming to understand the importance of environmental protection. Thus, the EU countries have begun to implement the European Green Deal, which "will put all sectors of human activity on the rails of sustainable development."
"I hope that in the near future Ukraine will be able to join the implementation of this course and ensure conditions for improving the environmental situation," the head of the department summarized.
The State Environmental Inspectorate notes that Ukraine will face a shortage of drinking water by 2050, which will force our country to import it from abroad.
The inspectorate is confident that the protection of our country's water resources should become a priority, as it concerns the lives of millions of people. Last year, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed with the State Water Agency, within which work is underway to create a system for operational monitoring of the state of water bodies. The agency calls for saving water and removing garbage from coastal strips.
At the same time, as The Guardian writes, in 2012 Ukraine became the first country in the world in terms of the number of people who died due to air pollution in relation to the total population.
Thus, experts concluded that air pollution in Ukraine causes four times more deaths than in the five "clean countries" of the world (Iceland, Finland, Liberia, Canada, Vanuatu) combined.
We remind you that Focus previously published a study on the problem of air pollution: in a year, Ukraine lost 17 positions in the world air quality rating.
As previously reported, a Telegram bot has appeared in Ukraine, to which one can complain about environmental violations. After the complaint is received by the State Environmental Inspectorate, the agency will appoint an unscheduled inspection, based on the results of which damages are calculated, fines are imposed on violators, and instructions are given to eliminate violations. The initiative was launched by Save Dnipro activists.
We remind you that the Minister of Environment Roman Abramovsky stated that due to global warming, the south of Ukraine could turn into a desert.