Specialists from the Siverskyi Donets Basin Water Resources Administration of the State Agency of Water Resources of Ukraine will join the standing working group developing solutions to address the consequences of the petroleum product spill in the Nemyshlianskyi district of Kharkiv. The agreement was reached on 28 July during an online meeting organised by the NGO “e-Dialog”.

From Local Response to Systemic Planning

During the meeting, participants reviewed the current status of the project and the priority steps for minimising the consequences of petroleum products entering the city’s water arteries. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Department of Construction and Road Infrastructure of Kharkiv City Council, the municipal enterprise “Complex for the Operation of Drainage and Stormwater Facilities,” the Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Ecological Problems and the NGO “e-Dialog.” Specialists from the Siverskyi Donets Basin Water Resources Administration of the State Agency of Water Resources of Ukraine and the heads of partner organisations Austausch e.V. and GreenRoots Hub also joined the discussion. The key outcome of the meeting was an agreement to include basin administration specialists in the standing working group. Their practical experience and sector expertise in water monitoring will support effective planning of measures to manage the Don river basin.

Basin Council Expertise Will Strengthen the Project

Once work under the grant project is complete, specialists from the NGO “e-Dialog” will present the solutions and results developed to a meeting of the Basin Council of the Siverskyi Donets and Lower Don. The aim is to factor these solutions into the set of measures for achieving “good ecological status” for the Nemyshlia, Kharkiv, Lopan and Udy rivers in line with the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC).

The work is carried out as part of the project “Resilient Roots: Supporting Environmental Initiatives in War-Affected Regions of Ukraine,” with support from Austausch e.V., GreenRoots Hub and Brot für die Welt.