Currently, pollution in the Desna River has reached below the city of Chernihiv, in particular, the village of Kolychivka, Chernihiv region. However, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine (Mindovkillya), at the moment there are no risks of deterioration of water quality near drinking water intakes in Kyiv.
According to information on September 9, polluted water accumulated within Chernihiv near the destroyed road bridge and advanced to the village of Kolychivka. Despite this, the number of cases of intense smell and mass death of fish here remains insignificant. Cases of plague of fish are observed in several settlements of the Chernihiv region, in particular in Chernihiv, the villages of Makoshino, Ushnya, Boromyky, Voznesensk and Saltykova Divitsia. As of today, about 17.5 tons of dead fish have been collected.
The Ministry of the Environment actively cooperates with PrJSC "AK Kyivvodokanal" to develop a set of measures in case of possible deterioration of water quality near drinking water intakes. In particular, the installation of additional aerator units for saturating the river with oxygen is being considered. However, as the press service of the ministry reports, there is currently no need to introduce such measures, as the water quality remains stable.
The pollution in the Seim River, which is one of the causes of the problems with the Desna, began in Russia. The causes of the pollution have not yet been established — it could be either a deliberate act or the result of a sudden accident. Former Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strilets emphasized the importance of preventing the spread of polluted water to the capital's water intake.
