Govt endorses European integration documents for Ukrainian river basins

MOSCOW. Nov 2 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian government has approved the first six-year management plans for eight river basins, namely, the Dnieper, the Don, the Dniester, the Vistula, the Southern Bug, and the Azov and Black Sea regions, for the period until 2030, Ukrainian media said, citing the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ministry.

"The roadmaps aim at practical measures to improve the quality of surface and groundwater. They will help assess the state of Ukrainian water resources, as well as identify ways to ensure their good condition," Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Minister Svetlana Grinchuk said.

The next step is to implement the river basin management plans, the ministry said. "This is a key indicator of the Water Quality section of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations," it said

The river basin management plans aim to deal with the following water and environmental problems: pollution of surface waters with organic, biogenic and hazardous substances, hydro-morphological changes, pollution and depletion of groundwater, climate change, lesser impact of infrastructure on the state of water, clogging of water bodies with household waste, and biological pollution (spread of invasive species), the ministry said.

"The river basin management plans will enable Ukraine to fulfil its European integration commitments and harmonize its water policy with the EU Water Framework Directive. In preparing them, Ukraine has borrowed practices of Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, France and Estonia," it said.