of the round-table “Military actions in eastern Ukraine: risks and consequences for the environment and health” 22 January 2015, Aarhus Information Center, Kyiv
The round-table discussion was attended by representatives of central executive authorities, research institute, national and international NGOs.
Participants of the round-table identified and discussed main risks of polluting environmental objects as a result of military actions in eastern Ukraine and developed proposals for immediate actions with the aim to minimize the impact, restore the environment and ensure environmental safety.
In view of the situation in eastern Ukraine, it is necessary to take immediate actions for detection of technogenic environmental problems resulting from the ATO, widely disseminate information on levels of hazard, identify all problems and develop a detailed plan of their elimination.
It is important to emphasize that military actions in eastern Ukraine deprive people not only of their lives but also kill their natural treasures – water objects, forests and parks, fertile land and air.
Water pipelines and sewage systems are damaged, “Vodokanal” enterprises are not functioning, mines are flooded, there is no control over raising levels of underground waters to natural levels.
No chlorination and disinfection of drinking water is performed.
There is a risk that such hazardous waste as obsolete pesticides, chemicals, industrial and sludge storage waste can get into water objects.
There is a threat of further pollution of atmospheric air as a result of bomb and shell explosions, shelling of chemical and metallurgic plants, forest fires, uncontrolled industrial emissions of hazardous chemicals.
With the aim of immediate detection of technogenic environmental problems in the ATO zone, wide dissemination of information about the hazard level, localization of each of the problems and development of a detailed plan of their elimination and having discussed environmental problems in the ATO zone, massive threats for environment and health of people in eastern Ukraine, using conclusions of experts, participants of the round table address central authorities, civil sector and international organizations with proposals and recommendations.
Recommendations for central authorities and local self-governance bodies:
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine:
- To create information and analytical center to accumulate information on the state of environment in the ATO zone, adopt a relevant law, ensure funding and technical equipment.
- To involve research and analytical institutes in the sphere of environment to solve environmental problems in the ATO zone in eastern Ukraine.
- To ensure evacuation of peaceful population from dangerous areas in the ATO zone.
- To construct fallout and anti-chemical shelters.
- To ensure collaboration of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Health, State Service of Emergencies, State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service of Ukraine in the sphere of technogenic and environmental safety. Preservation of lives and environment is possible under condition of concerted and effective work of the enumerated authorities.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine
- To ensure effective monitoring in the ATO zone (radiological and chemical studies).
- To perform environmental and social audit of the state of territories, cities and towns, potentially dangerous objects after termination of ATO in eastern Ukraine.
- To appoint a unit within the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources that will post on the web-site of the Ministry information about the state of environment in eastern Ukraine.
- To create a working group for development of information and analytical system on the basis of GIS-technologies.
- To improve the system of environmental monitoring on the level of the state and departments with the use of GIS-technologies.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
- To promote environmental education and awareness-raising among civil population in the ATO zone with the aim to ensure environmental safety.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine:
- In view of environmental threats, consider the possibility to increase the number of departments (services) of environmental safety and restore within the Ministry of Defense the Central military environmental laboratory.
The State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine:
- To ensure environmental control of the state of water resources, soils, ambient air, locations of storages of hazardous chemicals and waste in the ATO zone on the basis of available equipment and mobile units of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine
- Jointly with enterprises that store hazardous substances and waste in their territories, to conserve hazardous waste in the ATO zone and ensure evacuation of hazardous substances and waste from the ATO zone.
- To develop mechanisms of fast notification of population and their evacuation from the ATO zone. To ensure full termination of military actions during evacuation.
- To develop a guide for population about behavior during military actions.
- To oblige local self-governance bodies and municipal units: to ensure notification of population about bomb shelters in eastern Ukraine. To post information on notification stands in housing offices and residential areas.
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine
- To measure radiation level of the environment and drinking water in the territory of the ATO zone and post the information on the web-site of the Ministry of Health on a daily basis.
The Parliament of Ukraine
1. To develop and adopt a doctrine of environmental safety of Ukraine.
Civil Society Organizations
- To launch a web portal to register the damage caused to environment in the ATO zone in eastern Ukraine.
- To actively disseminate results of studies among public authorities that realize public policy in the sphere of environmental protection.
- To ensure accumulation, analysis and dissemination of information about the state of environment in the ATO zone on the regional level and on the level of local communities.
- To insist that authorities release information about the state of environment in occupied areas on a weekly basis.
- To prepare information materials for occupied areas and undertake preventive measures regarding use of drinking water.
- To involve public television to solution of problems related to environmental safety in eastern Ukraine.
- To create a map of environmentally hazardous territories for “environmental refugees”.
International organizations:
- To use information about the state of environment in eastern Ukraine in the ATO zone as an additional argument for drawing attention of international and interstate organizations to activation of the peace-making process.
- To deliver information and analytical materials about the state of environment in the ATO zone to the UN, the European Commission etc.
- To provide financial support for joint projects of central authorities and CSOs with the aim to ensure continuous monitoring of the state of environment in ATO zone.
- To provide express-control equipment for monitoring the environment and drinking water in the ATO zone (dosimeters to control radiation level, nitrate meters, conductometers for drinking and surface waters).
- To launch an international commission to assess the damage caused to the environment.
