In Ukraine, more and more regions are facing critical water pollution - both surface and groundwater. The worst situation is in industrial centers along the Dnieper and in the Azov region, where water quality is affected not only by industrial activity, but also by the consequences of the war. Leonid Bytsyura, an ecologist, head of the department at the Western Ukrainian National University and a member of the Council of the Ukrainian Water Association, told RBC-Ukraine in an interview.
Industry, mines and war: a toxic trio
According to the expert, the metallurgy and mining industries have the strongest impact on the water quality. The situation is especially critical in the Dnieper, Zaporizhia, and Eastern Ukraine - this is not only about the usual pollution, but also about flooded mines, from which it is physically impossible to pump out water due to the lack of electricity and equipment. Water from these underground facilities carries with it heavy metals, chemicals, and other harmful substances.
Agriculture: a hidden threat
In addition to industry, the agricultural sector poses a serious danger. Fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides — all of this is washed away by rain from the fields into the soil, and then enters the aquifers. The ecologist called pig farms and poultry farms the most dangerous. At the same time, according to Bytsyura, the state does not control the situation properly: the draft law on monitoring soil quality is blocked at the level of the Verkhovna Rada agrarian committee, and farmers, in fact, are checking themselves.
Villages are not always saved
Despite the popular myth of cleaner water in villages, the reality is much more complicated. The lack of centralized treatment facilities leads to microbiological contamination, and the wells themselves are often located next to landfills or farms. According to the ecologist, people sometimes even visually see cloudy or foamy water, but continue to consume it.
The law is being broken - poison gets into the water
Bytsyura emphasized that sanitary and water protection zones are being massively ignored in Ukraine. Cultivation of arable land near the very edge of water bodies contributes to the direct ingress of toxic substances into the water, and from the surface layers they seep into groundwater.
How to test water?
To check water quality, the expert advises contacting the laboratory centers of the Ministry of Health or the State Service for Food and Consumer Protection of Ukraine - these institutions provide paid services at the request of citizens. Also, powerful laboratories that can perform tests for over 200 indicators operate in Odessa, Vyshgorod, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
