Pollution of the Prut River in Ukraine

Problems

• Pollution of the Prut River in Ukraine

  Mountain rivers are inevitably turning into sewage ditches. The rapid development of tourist infrastructure in the Carpathians without well-thought-out comprehensive environmental safety measures is killing the once crystal-clear streams and rivers that were glorified in songs. 
  
  The Prut suffers the most from natural tourism. The river, which originates on the slopes of Hoverla, flows through the most tourist-rich Yaremche and Nadvirna regions, passing through Vorokhta, Yaremche, Kolomyia, and Sniatyn. And although tourist guides optimistically assure that the water is clean and tempts you with swimming and fishing, this has long been the case. Environmentalists recognize that the river has become dangerous for life. Not only is it impossible to swim in it, but the water from the Prut is no longer suitable even for agricultural purposes.
  
  E. coli, roundworm eggs, cholera vibrio, ammonia, phenols. All of these can be found in the Prut water at one time or another. According to sanitary and epidemiologists, in 2016, the water in the Prut River was the worst of all rivers in the region by all indicators. Ammonia is a colorless gas that is highly soluble in water. The presence of ammonia in high concentrations is an important indicator of fecal pollution in a water body.  Phenols are a class of chemical compounds. When they enter the human body, they cause dramatic changes in the cells of hematopoietic and bone tissue. Escherichia coli belongs to the family of Escherichia coli. Its varieties can cause acute intestinal pathologies in humans.

• The main cause of pollution

  The main cause of the pollution is the massive discharge of untreated wastewater from numerous private estates, hotels, and recreational complexes. They have closely occupied both the river's coastal strip and the banks of numerous streams - its tributaries. According to the NGO MAMA-86-Yaremche, more than 200 green tourism estates have been registered in the Yaremche region in recent years, most of which use septic tanks to collect wastewater. Ideally, these septic tanks should be cleaned periodically. However, there is still no regulatory document that would regulate the frequency of their cleaning. Some of them have never been cleaned, leading to groundwater contamination. And many facilities discharge untreated wastewater directly into the river.
  
  Pollution of the riverbeds by household waste is also a serious problem. Many illegal landfills have appeared along the river. Flooding washes the garbage into the river, worsening water quality. The extraction of sand and gravel from the riverbed and deforestation also have a negative impact on the river's ecological condition.

• 10 years before the disaster

  Environmentalists warn that in ten years the Prut will die. It will finally turn into a sewer. The environmentalists are supported by specialists from sanitary and epidemiological stations. According to the findings of the Nadvirna Interdistrict Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, all water samples from the Prut River have a high degree of bacteriological contamination. According to Roksolana Ivanishak, chief physician of the Nadvirna Interdistrict SES, the water taken before the tourist facilities located on the banks of the Prut is cleaner than after. When the river water has such an indicator, it cannot be used for household and drinking needs. This is because it is knowingly polluted water.
  
  Environmentalists believe that at the current rate of pollution, the Prut will be a sewer in ten years before it finally turns into a sewer. The situation has now become more acute, but it cannot be resolved overnight. Deforestation, climate change, and pollution of riverbanks with household waste are the main dangers to mountain rivers. To solve the problem, we need to seriously change our attitude to the environment and mountain management. And highlanders should start with themselves.