I. General Provisions

The National Program of the Environmental Rehabilitation of the Dnipro River Basin and the Improvement of Drinking Water Quality (hereinafter referred to as “the Program”) is directed to realization of the state policy of Ukraine in the sphere of environmental protection, use of natural resources, and provision of ecological safety of the Dnipro basin.

The Program was developed and managed by the Extraordinary on Problems of Ecological State of the Dnipro River and Drinking Water Quality and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine with Dnipro Renaissance Foundation, including the participation all interested administrative, other non-governmental and public organizations..

The exclusive public actuality and expediency of the Program development is based on the following factors:

- the Dnipro river is considered to be the main waterway which significance in the establishment and development of the Ukrainian nation, public production and environment of the State can not be overestimated;

- excessive antropogenetic tension strengthened into many times by the global Chernobyl disaster consequences broke the natural harmony, abruptly decreased the quality of water resources potential and resulted in the crisis of ecological state in many areas of the Dnipro river basin;

- solution of the complex problem of improvement of ecological state of the Dnipro river basin shall be carried out on the new quality basis in accordance with radical changes in the use of natural resources and strategy for the development of the Ukrainian national economy;

- results of the positive solution of the problem shall cause high ecological, economic and social efficiency either at the national or international levels;

- postponement in solving the problem for certain term may cause material damages to the environment, public health and society as a whole;

- necessity of concentration of significant forces and resources, long term period for resolving the problem and its scale in connection with big territory of the Dnipro river basin condition the obvious necessity of participation in its solution of a great deal of Oblasts of Ukraine, many branches of economy, public organizations, states-neighbors - the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, as well as the international societies.

The implementation of tasks of the Program must be an important integral part of the formation and implementation of the ecological policy of Ukraine for achieving the permanent development and integration with international commonwealth.

II. Main Goals of the Program and Terms of its Implementation

The Program is a long term organizational and economical document that defines the strategy and ways of solution of one of the most important general social problems of Ukraine - improvement of the ecological state of the water reservoirs of the Dnipro river basin and quality of drinking water; it is an important integral part of the new ecological policy of the society directed to the creation of the safe life conditions for people and improvement of the environment state.

The main goal of the Program is a renewal and provision of permanent operation of the Dnipro ecological system, proper water supply, ecologically safe conditions for people and their economic activity, and protection of the water resources from pollution and exhaustion.

The main preliminary conditions of formation of the Program strategy shall be:

- solution of problem of the improvement of ecological state of the Dnipro river basin and quality of drinking water is one of the urgent and common task of the state;

- keeping the tendency of worsening the ecological state of water reservoirs of the Dnipro river basin in future may result in biological and genetic degradation of the Ukrainian people themselves and may cause negative influence on the economical statements of the country’s development;

- upon conditions of tensed water resources balance and non-favorable ecological state in the Dnipro river basin that were historically formed in the result of structural deformations in the economy and improper activity regarding the protection of water resources, the ecologically safe use of water resources is not possible without proper regulation of the current ecological policy;

- structural reconstruction of the economy started in Ukraine must be implemented with guaranty of ecological safe for population and renewal of the environment;

- unsatisfactory ecological state of water reservoirs together with unperfected technologies of water purification is considered to be a main cause of bad quality of drinking water, extension of different diseases and worsening of public health;

- pollution of the water sources must not threaten the people’s health; and

- it is necessary to carry out step-by-step implementation (instead of principle of reaction) of prevention measures towards the protection and renewal of water resources.

The provision of permanent and stable economic development of the territory of the Dnipro river basin, harmony upon using and renewing water resources is possible to achieve due to:

implementation of the nature protection policy directed to the decrease of antropogenetic tension made on natural objects, including water resources;

implementation of ecologically safe use of waterways and reservoirs;

provision of priority of ecological criteria, statements and requirements over economical ones;

use of basin, comprehensive and special-purpose program approaches to the rational use of water resources on the basis of fact of their limits and pollution as a result of human activity.

The solution of problems of ecological improvement of the Dnipro river basin and quality of drinking water in conditions of deficit of budget assignations and formation in the country of the market economy is possible upon:

improvement of mechanism of ecological regulation on the basis of rational combination of market and administrative methods and mechanism of implementation of the Program’s steps;

implementation of step-by-step real approach to solve problems with definition of priority actions and their expediency;

mobilization of local resources and initiatives;

significant increase of role of the public opinion when making decisions regarding important ecological issues.

The strategy purpose is achieved by way of implementation of complex of agreed and interrelated water protective, legal, economical, organizational and technical and other steps that are developed in details at each step of the Program’s implementation using special-purpose program methods and appropriate information technologies.

The Program covers many purposes as it has several interconnected strategy goals. The complicated structure of the Program, scope of tasks to be solved and long term stipulated investments cycles condition the long period of its implementation (approximately till 2010).

The achievement of strategy goals is stipulated to be made on the step-by-step basis: for the period till 2000 - taking priority measures for the improvement of the ecological state of the Dnipro river basin; after the first period such goals must be adjusted. The term of final implementation of the Program shall be conditioned by economic potentials of the country regarding the financing hereof.

III. Current ecological state of the Dnipro river basin

1. General hydrological and water resources data

The economy sector in the Dnipro river basin has been developed during decades without taking into consideration the economical and ecological results for Ukraine. As a result the very deformed branch and territorial structure of industry has been created where the basic branches of industry such as fuel and power supply, metallurgy, defense and heavy machine building prevailed; as a result we have hypertrophied development of big industrial centers in Pridniprovie (territory near the Dnipro basin), big cities and agglomerations.

The main scope of industrial production where “dirty” branches (metallurgical, chemical, coal) prevail, the biggest power objects and massifs of irrigated lands are concentrated in the Dnipro river basin where water resources are much less than they are needed. As a result within the Dnipro basin in many economic regions the pre-critical and critical situations regarding the state of water resources and hydro-ecological balance has been created. In connection therewith the self-renewal ability of the Dnipro river and many other rivers of the basin does not provide any more the renewal of the broken ecological balance.

Having the basin area equal to 509,000 km2 the Dnipro river is the third river in Europe after Duny and Volga, and it is the fourth river as for its length equal to 2,200 km. In its upper stream the Dnipro river crosses the territory of the Russian Federation and Belarus where respectively 19 and 23% of its basin area are located. In Ukraine the middle stream and down stream territory of the Dnipro river with area of 291,400 km is located.

Water resources of the Dnipro basin constitute approximately 80% of water resources in Ukraine. Average annual flow of the Dnipro river in its outfall is equal to 53 km3. In small water years the Dnipro’s flow is reduced to 43,5 km3 and extraordinary small water years (95% of requested amount) - to 30 km3. 32% from the average annual flow of the Dnipro river is created on the territory of Russia, and at about 31% in Belarus. The flow that is formed in the Dnipro river basin on the Ukrainian territory in the middle water year is equal to 19,7 km3, and in small water year it may be reduced to 12 km3.

Prognosticated resources of underground waters in the Dnipro river basin within Ukraine are equal to 12,8 km3; 4,7 km3 of such resources are not connected hydraulically with surface waters. The amount of explored resources of underground waters in 1995 amounted to 2,6 km3 per year. Irregularity of their location reduces the possibility of their use till 1,2 km3.

The water reservoirs and ponds of tributary streams have significant place in the water supply system. The Dnipro river basin has 15,380 of tributary streams of different kind with total length of 67,156 km; 504 water reservoirs were built with total area of water surface of 767 km2 and with capacity of 2.2 km3; 12,570 ponds with total area of 1,086 km2 and with capacity of 1.54 km3 were built on small rivers. A cascade including 6 water reservoirs with total area of 6,950 km2 and full water capacity of 43.8 km3 was built on the Dnipro river. The construction of water reservoirs violated the ecological balance and fully changed conditions of water exchange process. In comparison with natural conditions it became slower for 14-30 times.

The distribution of water resources on the territory of basin is very irregular. The upper part of the basin is the richest area where during average water level year 1 km2 has 219,000 m3 of water per year. In the basin of the Desna and Pripiat rivers the drinking water resources constitute 110-115 thousand of m3 per year, and in the lower part of the basin the water supply is reduced to 36,000 m3 per year for 1 km2.

The Dnipro river supplies the water not only within its basin. It is a main and in certain areas the sole source of water supply for big industrial centers in the South and South-East part of Ukraine. Annually the Dnipro-Donbas, North-Crimea and Kakhovka channels transfer out of basin 5-6 km3 of their water flow. In general Dnipro provides 2/3 of the territory of Ukraine with water, including 30 mln. people, 50 big cities and industrial centers, at about 10,000 enterprises, 2,2 agricultural and more than 1,000 municipal institutions, 50 big irrigation systems and 4 Nuclear Power Plants.

Pursuant to data of Derjvodgosp (State Committee on Water Resources) 17.3 km3 of water was taken form the Dnipro basin in 1994. From this amount of water 2.24 km3 was used for economic-consumer services; 7.056 km3 for industrial needs; 4.31 km3 for irrigation needs; and 0.696 km3 was used for agricultural water supply. The water is used very irrationally. According to data of the Council on Study of Productive Forces of Ukraine of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine 50% of water with drinking water quality is used for technological needs. Approximately 90% of these losses may be satisfied at the expense of the repeated use of water in the system of industrial and municipal water supply. The losses of water upon the transportation constitute 10-20%, irrational use and water losses in the municipal fund constitute more than 20%, and 20-30% in industry. As a rule the records of water use are not maintained. Pursuant to the laboratory evaluation of rational use of water resources made by the Kyiv State University of Construction and Architecture, the economy in the amount of 8 km3 per year is possible due to the rational use of water in all branches in the Dnipro river basin.

The industry is the biggest branch of the economy regarding the use of water resources. Its share in water use in the Dnipro basin in 1995 constituted 49% of the total use of water or 6 km 3. Besides fresh waters, 28 km 3 of repeated use water is used in production processes.

The second biggest consumer of water resources is an agriculture. 4,4 km3 or 35% as a whole is used in this sphere. In comparison with industrial production where is one time use of water does not exceed 20%, one time use of water constitutes 72,5 % of the total use of water in the agriculture in the Dniper basin.

Total one time use of water in the Dnipro basin constituted 33,8 km 3 of water in 1995, including:

3. Disposal of wastes

Pursuant to data of Derjvodgosp (State Committee on Water Resources) in 1995 7.4 km3 of sewage waters were disposed of into water objects. From this amount the capacity of pure water according standards is 4,7 km 3, the capacity of water purified according standards of purification is 0,6 km 3, pollution water – 2,0 km 3. In total in the Dnipro basin the power of the treatment facilities until the disposal of sewage water is 3,5 km 3 annually. But standard purification is provided only partially (24% in 1995), because of the treatment facilities of metallurgy and municipal institutions where they don’t provide the standard purification of sewage water. In 1995 only 36 thousand tons of easy-oxidizing organic particles, 613 thousand tons of oil products, 439 thousand tons of sulfates, 527 thousand tons of chlorides, 29 thousands tons of nitrates, 27 tons of copper, 38 tons of zinc, 10 tons of nickel, 11 tons of chrome, 2 tons of phenols and many other elements were disposed of from water sources.

The municipal institutions, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, coking chemistry, heavy, power and transport engineering and agriculture are deemed to be the biggest pollutants of water objects.

So only drainage systems of the city of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya usually dispose of into the Dnipro river respectively 196 and 172 mln. m3 of polluted sewage waters. The biggest industrial polluting objects are Dzerjinsky Metallurgical Plant (Dniprodzerjinsk), “Zaporizhstal” Plant (Zaporizhzhya), Petrovsky Metallurgical Plant (Dnipropetrovsk). Annually they dispose of into the Dnipro river respectively 156, 104 and 98 mln. m3 of polluted sewage. However, actually a lot more polluted sewage waters and contaminated elements are disposed of into the Dnipro river. As a result of objective difficulties, that take place in the economy, the non-controlled disposal of untreated sewage water from the plant treatment facilities of enterprises and organizations, accumulators of industrial and agricultural sewage waters. The increase of concentration of synthetic surface-active elements (SSAE) that have negative influence on the water quality and life capacity of hydrobionts is in a big concern, but such elements are not practically purified by current treating facilities. Along with sewage waters the excessive number of biogenic elements, heavy metals, as well as unusual to any waters artificial non-organic and organic elements of toxic group (pesticides, bens-a-piren).

Besides, seriously polluted bottom sediments also have a big influence on the drinking water quality. Upon certain conditions they may become a source of repeated pollution of waters by heavy metals, organic elements, oil products and other substances.

The precipitation may constitute a significant part (till 10%) in the pollution of the Dnipro river waters. However this problem cannot be resolved within one basin. It requires to develop special program regarding the pollution of air basin.

The low effectiveness of current purification equipment negatively affects the quality of natural waters. In particular, it is necessary to underline the unsatisfactory work of centralized biological purification equipment where they deal substantially with industrial sewage waters that come to the purification equipment without the preliminary treatment to be carried out at the local purification equipment of enterprises. The Dnipro basin don’t almost have local purification equipment for extracting the surplus of minerals or salting-out.

Pursuant to data as of January 1, 1994, systems of centralized water supply provided services for 100% of cities, 89% of settlements and approximately 20% of villages.

The centralized sewage systems provided services for 94% of cities, 50% of settlements and at about 3% of villages. The deficit of transmission capacity of utility equipment for biological purification in the cities and settlements is equal to 442,1 thousand m3/24 hours. Besides 2,158.4 km casualty sewage systems need to be changed. In general the number of mechanical systems for treatment of sewage waters is sufficient, but they lack in Zhitomyr, Zaporizhzhya, Rivne and Cherkassy Oblasts.

The purification systems often work with great overstrain, and in certain villages with centralized water supply and settlements they are even absent or they represent simple filtration systems that are often overstrained.

In addition to the said point sources of pollution, a great deal of polluted elements reach the water objects from diffusive sources: as a result of washing down from the surface of agricultural fields, farms and cattle-breeding complexes, together with polluted underground waters, and from the areas of settlements, etc.

Draining and irrigation systems (53 big irrigation systems with area of 1,5 million hectares and significant number of plots of “small irrigation”) operate on 10% of the basin area. The drainage waters of irrigation systems are powerful source of contamination of water subjects by contaminated chemical substances and mineral salts.

On the basis of data of the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Water Protection (USCWP) the water flow from agricultural fields to the water objects of the Dnipro river basin, with respect to the entering balance, in particular as for nitrogen and phosphorus, contain respectfully 28% and 7,4%. In total 19,1 thousand tons of nitrogen, 0,63 thousand tons of phosphorus and 0,118 tons of pesticides are taken out from the territory of the Dnipro river basin. Therefore the agriculture is one of the main source of disposing of biogenic elements. Extensive ploughing of lands, their melioration, soil erosion and other factors results in the increase of amount of the water flow from agricultural fields to water objects.

The cattle-breeding complexes and farms constitute the main factor of pollution of the environment in the Dnipro basin. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic elements, metals and microorganisms are the main pollution elements. Together with cattle-breeding wastes at about 100 bacterium carriers that are very dangerous for people are disposed of into the water flow. Total quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which reach the Dnipro river together with cattle-breeding flows, amounts to: nitrogen - 9,7, 4,9 - phosphorus, and 10,9 thousand tons per year, respectfully. Besides, a great deal of easy-oxidizing organic elements are disposed of into the water objects. The water objects are jeopardized because the cattle-breeding farms are located substantially in the basins of small and medium rives and thus they are overstrained enormously.

The water flow from the territories with high concentration of municipal structures and buildings, which occupy 5% of the basin area, constitute the significant part in the pollution of water objects of the Dnipro river basin. In general 725 mln m3 of sewage waters are disposed of from the above said structures into the water objects of the basin. They contain 1,13 mln of suspended matters, 45 thousand tons of organic elements, 11 thousand tons of oil products, 5 thousand of nitrogen, 1 thousand of phosphorus and other substances.

So in some areas diffusive sources cause even more damages than point sources.

The intensive pollution of underground waters is going on as a result of the economic activity. According to data of the State Committee on Geology the most polluted areas are territories where big industrial and agricultural objects, as well as cities, are located. The biggest violations in the natural hydro-chemical situation are registered in the developed economy regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya Oblasts with highly developed industry, agriculture and great density of population. The main sources of pollution are accumulators of industrial and consumer liquid and solid wastes, mineralized mining and pitting waters, fertilizers and chemicals and wastes storage of cattle-breeding complexes and farms.

Within the basin at about 1,000 filtration storage facilities, 80% of which are located in south part of the basin, are situated. Total amount of highly mineralized waters gathered in the above said facilities amounts up to 1 km3, subject to that 77% are for Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Brines, oil related products and aromatic substances contained in storage facilities penetrate into underground waters. The presence in the Dnipro river basin of great deal of industrial wastes storage facilities, level of their negative influence and risk of danger (40% of industrial wastes storage facilities are deemed to be dangerous, and 15% - particularly dangerous), shortcomings of the present normative base (wastes storage facilities are subject to the same technical requirements that are used for less dangerous economic hydro-structures, and therefore the development and implementation of projects of storage facilities pursuant to valid norms does not provide for an appropriate protection of soil, water and air basins) condition the necessity of development of respective steps for avoiding such risk and negative influence.

The problem of technogenic and ecological pollution of certain areas of the basin caused by antropogenic (industrial, military, etc.) activity is the urgent one. So the serious ecological situation is in the area of the city of Uzin where total area of pollution by oil related components is at about 100 km2 and the city of Bila Tserkva where the dendrology park “Olexandriya” is under risk.

In the mining districts of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk and Poltava Oblast the breach of natural hydro-chemical conditions is connected mainly with the pollution of the underground highly mineralized drain, pit and mining waters. For instance the total area of the underground water pollution in the Kryvbas ( Kryvyi Rig Coal Mining District) is 300 square kilometers, and their maximum mineralization amounts to 12,3 g/l. The filtration of the mining waters contained in the storage facilities in West Donbas district results in the increase of underground waters mineralization up to 1,5 g/l, and in Samarsk, Pervomaisk and Verbsk water scoop - up to 12g/l.

Therefore large amounts of polluted underground waters are concentrated in the Dnipro river basin, in particular:

Dnipropetrovsk-Dniprodzerjinsk - is polluted by waters of chemical and metallurgical industries;

Novomoskovsk-Pavlograd - is polluted by mining waters and the cattle-breeding farms sewage;

Kryvyi Rig - is polluted by mining waters and sewage of the metallurgical plants;

Zhitomyr - Rivne - is polluted by sewage of the chemical and textile industries plants, as well as by utilities sewage waters.

5. Radioactive pollution

The exclusive feature of current ecological Dnipro river basin state is that local situations, which are conditioned by the improper and ecologically dangerous water use on the significant part of the basin, become aggravated due to Chernobyl disaster circumstances. Upon the chemical pollution of water supply systems and water reservoirs in the Dnipro river basin the negative effect to the human health is increasing seriously. In accordance with the Derjcomhydromet (the State Committee for Hydrology and Meteorology) data the total radiation dose received by the population in the Dnipro basin following the years after the disaster has increased up to 3-13%. Nearly 450 thousand curie of cesium-137 and almost 70 thousand curie of strontium-90 are concentrated on the territory of the Prypiat and Dnipro river basins. The potential pollution by radionuclides coming from contaminated territories as a result of surface washing can amount to 1-2 % for strontium-90 and 0,1-0,3 - for cesium-137 per year. Although in 1994 the concentration of isotopes in water reservoirs tended to decrease into 100 times in comparison with 1986, however its level exceeds the pre-catastrophe period for 35 times.

The water reservoirs of the cascade are specific storage facilities of radioactive pollution. The concentration of cesium-137 coming from Kyiv and Kakhovka reservoirs decrease twice, strontium-90 - almost two times. 27% of strontium coming to Kyiv reservoirs remain in Kremenchuk reservoirs, 23% remain in Kyiv and 11% in Kaniv water reservoirs.

The accumulation of radionuclides and other toxic elements contained substantially in bottom layers creates preconditions for their constant redistribution of all water flows of the Dnipro basin through appropriate drain system.

According to the evaluation given by the National Academy of Sciences, the State Committee for Geology and the State Committee for Hydrology and Meteorology, the accelerated move of radionuclides in the Dnipro river basin towards Kakhovka reservoirs and the Black Sea may occur while high water floods guarantying 10 or less per cent. The wind-dust lifting of radionuclides into atmosphere or biosphere due to drainage and shallowing of water sources may result in their significant increase.

The situation in the Dnipro river basin is complicated by the great level of the development of erosion and bank destruction processes. The ploughed territories of the water scoop reached 65%, and in Kherson Oblast and in certain small rivers basin - 80-85%, when the norm is equal to 40%. The forest density of the basin in average amounts to 14%, when the norm is equal to 30%. The area of eroded lands was increased for 28% only over the last 25 years, the total proportion of humus in the soil was decreased for 10%. The erosion products reaching water objects condition the pollution by organic compounds, fertilizers, in particular, nutrients - nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as in silting.

The length of shore fields of the Dnipro reservoirs is equal to 3,079 km, including 1,110.9 km - abrasive-eroded banks that need to be strengthened. 302.7 km of water reservoirs banks are needed to be strengthened. As a result of bank erosion 6,176 hectares of land were lost. For the last 35 years 337 million m3 of bank destruction materials were disposed of into the water reservoirs.

Floods and inundations are still going on within the water reservoirs. 90 thousand hectares of territories which are not protected from floods and inundation influence, are flooded, and on the non-protected shoal - approximately 133 thousand hectares. At present in the basin over 100 cities and settlements are flooded. The lands transformation, biota degradation, silting and swamping and evtrofication of water reservoirs are closely related to these processes. These are zones of ecological disbalance to be drawn the priority attention.

The length of tributaries of the Dnipro river is equal to 67,156 km. Almost any water protective zones don’t comply with the economic regime. The lands of these zones are ploughed until the water line. The cattle-breeding farms, summer livestock farms, stations for fertilizer solutions and chemical weed-killers preparation are placed there. The appropriate agricultural and forest-ameliorative procedures are not carried out there. As a result zones protected from pollution do not comply with their special role of buffer to avoid pollution, and are often transformed themselves into the source of contamination.

Small rivers of the Dnipro river basin, which amounts to over 90% of the river basin network, are subject to the extreme antropogenetic strain. Their water intake volume is equal to 2.1 km3 per year. The water coming from small rivers ensures 18% of all economic needs of the basin. 15% of all sewage waters in the basin and 6% -polluted waters are disposed of into the small size hydrographical network. A great deal of ploughed lands, the excessive saturation by chopped crops, insufficient forest density of water intakes accelerate the erosion processes, pollution and silting of rivers and reservoirs by erosion matters. For instance ploughed lands rate in small rivers basins amounts to 70-80% of their total area. The forest density of basins even in Polissya, with some insignificant exception, is less than normal standard and amounts to 20-30% and on the water intakes of the Lypa, Chornoguzka and Polkva rivers - 5-10%, when the due norm is 35-40%. In the basin of rivers of steppe and forest-steppe regions of the Dnipro river basin the forest area is two or three times less then the due norm is. The area of all lands with the natural landscapes is twice less then the due norm is. Following the last years the situation is aggravated by tendency of active provision of banks and food-lands for the construction of summer cottages, horticulture and truck farming.

8. Water quality

Together the above mentioned factors have led to the degradation of the entire ecosystem of the Dnipro river basin, in particular to the worsening of the drinking water quality. The analysis of many years researches showed that nitrites, ammonium nitrogen, biogenic and organic matters, heavy metals, oil related products and phenols are the common toxic materials of the Dnipro river basin. Their concentration is an evidence of the violation of water quality standards approved for the water reservoirs destined for fishing, culture and utility purposes.

As a result of the production recession the pollution of the Dnipro river reservoirs has decreased in general. However, the tendency to increase in the water easy-oxidizing organic compounds, ammonium nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen is still maintained.

According to the chemical and bacterial pollution rate the water of many rivers of the Dnipro basin is classified as contaminated and polluted.

Pursuant to the State Committee of Hydrology and Meteorology in 1994 the excess of allowed concentrations (AC) of toxic matters regarding fishing reservoirs was registered practically in all rivers of the basin. For instance, the year average concentration of toxic matters in the Dnipro river near the village Nedanchychi was equal to: easy-oxidizing organic compounds - 2 AC, ammonium nitrogen 2,6 AC, nitrite nitrogen - 2,4 AC. The pollution of the Dnipro river near the village Nedanchychi and the city of Kherson by phenols and heavy metal compounds was registered.

The major part of the Dnipro river tributaries are polluted mainly by ammonium and nitrite nitrogen, oil related products, phenols and heavy metal compounds. The highest level of the pollution by heavy metals was registered on such rivers as Horin’, Teteriv, Hnylopiat, Psiol, Samara, Ros’ and Ingulets’. Maximum concentration of compounds of copper in several cases ranged within 34-96 AC, zinc and manganese - 10-91 AC. In the water of Irsh, Irpin’, Unava and the Same river the level of ammonium nitrogen, phenols and oil related products is increasing. The concentration of ammonium nitrogen became higher in the Desna river. Besides, the high level of pollution by zinc - up to 19 AC, manganese - up to 12 AC, oil related products - up 32 AC was registered there. In the river Ros’ the concentration of ammonium nitrogen has increased the cases of significant pollution by zinc compounds, manganese, oil related products were registered. The water in Sula, Udaya, Psiol, Horol, Vorskla, Merla, Orel, Berestova, Samara and Vovcha is polluted by easy-oxidizing organic matters, phenols, coppers and magnesia compounds. The water in Mokra Moscovka river is polluted by ammonium nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen and heavy metals compounds. On the Samara, Vovcha and Solona rivers the excessive pollution by sulfate was registered.

Kyiv and Kaniv reservoirs are polluted mainly by ammonium nitrogen (its concentration in several periods of time reached 14 AC), phenols (up to 14 AC), copper compounds (up to 8 AC), zinc (up to 13 AC) and manganese (up to 10 AC). In comparison with previous years the level of pollution by ammonium nitrogen, phenolsand easy-oxidizing organic matters has increased in these reservoirs to some extent.

The level of water pollution of Kremenchuk and Dniprodzerjinsk reservoirs was equal to: by nitrite nitrogen - within 1-2 AC, SSAE - up to 2, by copper compounds - 1-12, zinc - 1-10, manganese - 1-17 AC. The cases of the significant pollution of the Kremenchuk reservoir by nitrite nitrogen (11 AC), and the both reservoirs were polluted by copper compounds - 30 -59 AC, zinc-11-3- AC and manganese - 10-88 AC.

The common toxic matters of the Dnipro reservoir were compounds of copper (up to 11 AC), zinc (up to 32 AC), manganese (up to 10 AC), phenols (up to 8 AC). The pollution by zinc compounds sometimes reached 96 AC.

The average annual concentration of toxic matters in the Kakhovka reservoir reached: phenols - 1-2 AC, compounds of copper - 6-11 AC, zinc - 7.12 AC. The higher concentration of zinc compounds - (13-25 AC) was registered near Zaporizhzhya and Nikopol’.

The researches of concentration of major ions and biogenic matters in the Dnipro basin rivers testify that antropogenic factor has significant influence on nitrogen and phosphorus concentration, in particular, in the rivers of forest-steppe and steppe zones. The share of antropogenic integral part of nitrogen in total concentration of mineral nitrogen in water change from 0,4 (the Upper Inhulets’ river), up to 92% (the Vovcha river) and total amount of phosphorus form 0,02 (the Vorskla river) up to 86% (the Bazavluk river).

Lately the steady tendency of decrease of calcium hydrocarbonate concentration is registered together with increase of concentration level in the water of sulfates, chlorides, magnum, natrium and kalium. As a result the chemical type of water, which reflects many years natural hydro-chemical regime of any river, is changed to another type which is not appropriate for such a river. The change of chemical natural type of water may occur in the nearest period of time within the area of an entire basin, in particular in the northern part of Ukraine. In general it will have negative influence on the set ecological relations.

The pollution of water in the Dnipro river basin has led to the breach of natural processes of self-treatment of water objects and significantly complicated the problem of receipt of high quality water at the water supply stations. The treatment facilities of water supply systems can not hinder the penetration of a great deal of non-organic and organic toxic matters into drinking water. If combined together they may threaten the human health especially in conditions of radiation pollution.

Researches regarding the current state of treatment facilities of water supply systems showed that the major chemical compounds are not eliminated practically from water if their concentration exceeds the allowed rate.

The problem is aggravated because the current technologies of preparation of drinking water stipulate common use of chlorine, in particular for elimination of products of decay of phytoplankton, and as a result a great deal of toxic cancerogenic chlorine organic compounds are created in drinking water and together they have a cumulative effect. Recently in Ukraine the low quality of water is one of the reasons that entail the growth of number of stomach disease, gall-stone disease, respiratory diseases, etc.

The analysis of the ecological state of the Dnipro basin and its tendencies gives grounds to make a conclusion that mainly extensive water consumption almost in all fields of economy (regarding the water resources storage volume per one unit of area and per one resident Ukraine takes one of the last places among the European states, and regarding the water capacity of gross out-put exceeds the abovesaid countries for several times). The increase of total volume of non-productive use of water and the significant reduction of water resources potentials as a result of pollution and exhaustion of water sources condition the necessity of implementation of large scale ecological and economic steps regarding the use of water.

The maintenance of the ecological balance and full compliance with population and economy needs concerning high quality water must be carried out by way of the improvement of water quality and water regime of rivers, rational water use by plants of all branches of the economy and by way of water resources renewal.

The main role in the renewal of water resources and provision of water users needs will be performed by way of regulation of river drain and its territory distribution using the Dnipro cascade reservoirs, the state of which troubles the Ukrainian community and which may influence the solution of the ecological problem existing in the Dnipro basin.

Due to the creation of the water reservoirs cascade the problems of water supply for population, industry and agriculture, the increase of water use volume and its rational distribution during the year were solved. Whereas 70% of the flow volume of the Dnipro river are related to spring floods, therefore it was ensured the operation of hydroelectric, thermal and nuclear power plants, water transport, recreation economy, protection of the river valley from the catastrophic floods, etc., were ensured.

At the same time the creation of large water reservoirs of the Dnipro river was connected with flooding of significant area of lands, hydrological, hydro-chemical and hydrobiological changes in the river regimes, structural and functional transformation of ecosystem from river into lake-river type with an appropriate slowing of water exchange and water self-treatment, significant water consumption for vaporization and infiltration, etc. In connection therewith the proposals, concerning the step-by-step discard of reservoir waters aimed to return the Dnipro river to its initial state, were offered, and to return flooded lands to the agricultural use.

It is necessary to point down that the Dnipro waters reservoirs flooded 709,9 thousand hectares of lands, including 197,6 hectares of sand areas, which are not suitable for agricultural use, 269,3 thousand hectares of forests and low forests, 177,6 thousand hectares of hayfields and pastures and 73,2 thousand hectares of ploughed lands, gardens and farmsteads. Flooded lands consisted of poor meadow and swamp soils with 1,5% of humus.

At the same time less than 10% from 3 mln hectares of lands, which were taken out of the agricultural circulation in Ukraine in 1950-1990, including less than 4% of ploughed lands, were allocated for water reservoirs. In contrast to lands allocated for industrial, municipal and transport needs, a big part of shallow waters (from the total area of lands allocated for water reservoirs shallow waters with depth up to 2m occupy at about 150,000 hectares or 20%, and with depth up to 1m - 70,000 hectares or 10%) is of a great significance for fishing and food sectors as on its territory maturing fish pawns and puts on flesh, water fowl and bog birds make their nest, and valuable fur-bearing animals live (musk-rats, otters, beavers, etc.). After the cascade of water reservoirs has been created, the annual fishing out in the Dnipro river increased from 2,000 to 18,500 tons per year; the monetary value of these products is equal to 3,3 trillion hryvni. Subject to the irrigation significance of water reservoirs it is possible to establish the fact of maintenance of the agricultural fields balance.

Due to researches carried out on lands flooded by water reservoirs during 15 years it was established that soils acquired negative characteristics with respect to the agriculture, in particular their acidity increased, move of ferrum and aluminum oxides was grown, and physical and chemical statements were worsened. Efforts taken to develop these lands gave poor results: in the first years fodder crops capacity amounted to not more than 4-5 metric centner of fodder units per one hectares, and it did not cover the recultivation costs. As a result of taking specially developed comprehensive agricultural measures, they succeeded to increase the crop capacity, but only to 40-50% of the initial index.

Funds invested into melioration of drained lands of shallow waters may be repaid only in 20-40 years provided the additional capital is invested. The same situation is with development of lands, that were under water, for the purposes of construction of settlements, roads, electricity and communications lines.

Calculations, made by the specialists of the Ukrainian Scientific Calculations Center for the Kyiv reservoir regarding the return to the Dnipro river of its initial state, showed that its drain would result in the increase of pollution of waters by organic compounds into 3-4 times. In the area of Dnirpodzerjinsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya the river would be transformed into a sewage pit with concentration of organic compounds amounted to 20-30 mg/l.

Other consequences of draining the reservoir may also be catastrophic for the national economy. The system of water supply of many settlements and enterprises located on the banks of the Dnipro river and its water reservoirs must be fully reconstructed. Calculations regarding the water supply balance, made by the Ukrainian Institute of Water Supply Projects, showed that after waters have been drained 45% of water users remain without water practically during the whole year, except the period of spring floods. The use of water by the agriculture would be decreased from 10,4 billion m3 to 4,7 billion m3.

The city of Kyiv would be without water because the Desnyanska and Dniporvska Waterworks may operate only when water level marks in the Kyiv reservoir are not less than 89,3 m. The water scoops of Kyiv Thermal Power Stations No. 1, 3, 4, and 5 would be stopped. The city of Cherkassy, Svitlovodsk, in particular Cherkassy Production Association “Azot”, Cherkassy Thermal Power Station, Kremenchuk Oil-refining Plant, Poltava Fishing Complex of Enterprises, 19 agricultural water scoops, as well as canal Dnipro-Inhulets’ (with capacity of 42 m3/c) of Kremenchuk reservoir, would also remain without water.

7 utility and 17 agricultural water scoops will be stopped, as well as canal Dnipro-Donbas (with capacity of 120 m3/c - first line, 32 m3/c - second line) which receive water from Dniprodzerjinsk reservoir.

Water scoops providing drinking water for Dnipropetrovsk, Dniprodzerjinsk, Novomoskovsk and Zaporizhzhya will be stopped too. Water will not be supplied for Prydniprovska and Dniprodzerjinsk Hydro-Power Stations, Dzerjinsky Plant in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporozhstal, Petrovsky Metallurgy Plant in Dnipropetrovsk, and Pivdenmash. And in general at about 40 water scoops with capacity of 150 m3/c and 35 agricultural water scoops with capacity of 32 m3/c, which take water from Dnipro reservoir, will be stopped.

Water scoops providing drinking water to Nicopol, Marhanets and other cities, as well as water scope of industrial water supply of Nicopol Pivdenno-trubniy Plant and at about 50 small agricultural water scoops, will be stopped. North Crimean (with capacity 249 m3/c), Main Kakhovka (irrigation) canals and Dnipro-Kryviy Rig canal (with capacity 41 m3/c), which take water from Kakhovka reservoir, will be stopped too.

To an opinion of experts the power system of Ukraine, regardless that the hydro-power stations produce only 5-7% of power arsenal, cannot properly operate without these power stations as they play the role of casualty reserve of capacity of the country’s power system, and they are the main regulator of frequency and capacity of the power system of Ukraine reducing its excessive strain. Otherwise twice per day (in the morning and in the evening) the third part of power consumers will have to be turned off the system.

The deficit of power in the event the hydro-power station has been stopped will amount to 9,774 mln kVt/h, that is equal to 900 billion hryvni. Besides the balance value of reservoir and aggregates of the power station amounts to 16,3 trillion hryvni.

The drainage of reservoirs will break the set transport itinerary and condition the necessity of taking large scale steps for handling cargoes to the railway station and construction of special transport networks, etc. The operation of many ships of ASK “Ukrrichflot” (the State-owned Shipping Company), as only a few of them (in particular 4 types from 34 that are operated) have draught if with cargo equal to 1.9 m (the same depth the Dnipro river would have after water has been drained). For maintenance of such depth along the whole river (500 km) it is necessary to deepen the river-bed to 0,5 m, i.e. to extract 25 mln m3 of soil. All tourist ships will stop their activity as they have draught if with cargo more than 2,5 m.

The amount of cargoes handled along the Dnipro river would be reduced to 5 times and will reach the level of 1995, i.e. 13 mln tons or 4,063 mln t/km (in 1989 the amount of transportations amounted to 67,4 mln t and 11,848 t/km). Passenger circulation would be reduced to the level of 1995, or to 14,7 mln of people, or 4,370 mln pas/km (in 1989 it amounted to 20,2 mln of people or 12,433 mln pas/km). Losses as a result of limitation of the activity of the river fleet will be equal to 5 trillion hryvni. Besides, the balance value only of passenger ships of the river fleet is equal to 2,1 trillion hryvni.

As was defined above, as a result of drainage of reservoirs the fishing economy will have material losses. The recreation sector will have huge losses, as hundreds of recreation centers, sanatoriums and children camps and centers located on the river banks will be not able to carry out their activities. A lot of funds will be needed for protecting cities and villages from catastrophic floods, etc.

There are proposals aimed to drain the reservoir at first for one meter and so on. But the reduction of the operational level only of Kaniv reservoir would reduce the production of the power to 100 mln kVt/h The capacity of Kyiv Hydro-power Station would be reduced to 60-70 mln kV.

The river fleet will not be able to operate on Kaniv reservoir even 20% of its ships. It will be not possible to operate the capital moorage structures located on this reservoir.

In addition the intensive construction of cities, industrial enterprises, roads, bridges, electricity and communications lines was carried out subject to levels ensured by the regulation of the Dnipro river flow with a help of cascade of reservoirs. It is also difficult to foreseen the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the city of Kyiv when the part of the river-bed and canals related to the city itself would be drained.

Therefore, if we calculate the losses, which can be caused to the country as a result of termination of the activity of half industrial facilities, major utility, transport and other enterprises, reduction of the productivity of a great deal of irrigated lands, it is quite clear that the liquidation of reservoirs will ruin the country’s economy. Besides, as a result of radioactive pollution of bottom sediments of reservoirs (their accumulation on the hydrodynamically non-stable mass of silt creates preconditions for redistribution of radionuclides down along the river course that may be accelerated much more due to the drainage of reservoirs) the sanitary and epidemiological state of the Dnipro river will be seriously worsened. In connection therewith the released areas of shallow waters together with non-disactivated and non-utilized silt will be a cause for the second radioactive pollution of the environment.

Evidently the way of improvement of the ecological state of the Dnipro river and its reservoirs in not in their step-by-step drainage which ecological and economical effect is miserable in comparison with prognosticated total losses that may be caused to the nature and Ukrainian economy, but in carrying out the purposeful state ecological policy and comprehensive improvement and optimization of the reservoirs operation. That’s why the following principles should be complied with upon the creation of water use policy in the Dnipro river basin:

strengthening of positive tendencies of water protection in all branches of the economy;

any restriction of large scale water transformations which cannot be prognosticated in the ecological and economic plan;

avoidance of negative tendencies of water facilities construction which aggravate ecological problems;

development of the researches in the sphere of water ecology, water supply, water resources as well as their using;

foundation of the goals and methods of water facilities construction in the Dnipro river basin.

The systematic analysis of the current ecological state of the basin and organization of the management of protection and use of water resources allowed to describe the most actual problems, which are to be solved and are the subject of this Program, in particular:

antropogenic strain on the water objects of basin as a result of the extensive method of managing the water economy which led to the critical decrease of self-reproductive capabilities of rivers and exhaustion of water resources potential;

steady tendency to the significant pollution of water objects due to non-organized water drains from settlements, economic objects and agricultural lands (unsatisfactory technical state, low level of operation of water drain systems or its complete absence);

great scale radiation pollution as a result of the Chornobyl Nuclear Plant disaster;

worsening of drinking water quality due to the unsatisfactory ecological state of sources of drinking water supply in the basin along with existing water treatment technologies, which do not already ensure the appropriate water preparation rate;

lack of the effective economical mechanism of the water use and implementation of water protection measures;

remainder principle of investments allocation to the nature protection goals, lack of liaison of planned tasks with rate of damage caused by the environment pollution, their insufficient orientation to the final nature protection results, tendency of water protective methods mainly directed to the water treatment facilities construction, and not to the implementation of water protection technologies in public production;

imperfection of current management system of the protection and use of water resources due to the imperfection of normative and legal base, organizing structure of the management, lack of computer-aided permanently acting monitoring system of ecological state of water objects of the Dnipro river, drinking water quality and sewerage waters in the water supply and water pipe systems of settlements and economic objects, of the sufficient nature protection control over the water objects use.

The development of the Program gives the opportunity to create the necessary preliminary conditions to the effective solution of the mentioned major problems by way of the improvement of ecological state of the Dnipro river basin and water supply.

In order to achieve the main goal of the Program it is stipulated to develop and implement the project and measures pursuant to the following priority directions:

prevention of surface and underground waters from the pollution;

ecologically safe use of water resources;

renewal and support of favorite hydrological state of rivers and steps directed against the harmful waters influence;

improvement of the management system of the protection and water resources use.

Interconnected complexes of steps pursuant to priority directions are aimed to the following:

decrease of the antropogenic strain on the water objects;

achievement of ecologically safe use of water objects and water resources for meeting economical needs of the society;

provision of ecologically steady operation of water object as an element of the environment upon keeping the capacity of water ecological systems to renew the water quality;

creation of the effective structure of management and mechanisms of ecological regulation of protection and use of water resources;

The main role will belong to:

implementation of basin principle of management of water use, water protection and renewal of water resources;

improvement of drinking water quality;

decrease of the harmful effect of radioactive pollution;

The carrying out of tasks and measures of the Program will guarantee to the population living in the territory of the Dnipro river basin, the right to the ecological safety while using both surface and underground waters.

The solution of ecological problems in the Dnipro river basin accumulated during the long period of time requests the significant financial resources which are to be invested mainly from the state budget. Due to the limited financing of environmental protection measures and the vital necessity of the treatment of major river basin of Ukraine it is stipulated the development of plan of practical implementation of the Program’s measures. For the purpose of rational use of funds it is necessary to determine the priority tasks and to provide the effective and economically profitable solutions and stages of their performance.

For that purpose the classification of problems according to their significance rate ( worsening of the public health as a result of low quality of water resources, significant worsening of state or threat of the irreparable damage to ecosystem), as well the classification of nature protection actions for defining necessary volume of investments and their ecological efficiency ( with provision of the priority for measures which have significant ecological-economic effect, which can be carried out step-by-step, are provided with the required project documentation, and pre-project researches, etc.) is carrying out.

The development of specific measures and distribution of the investments for their practical implementation is performed not only on the basis of their branch feature, but its subject and goals.

The measures, that do not request significant investments, are to be taken in first instance. They include, in particular:

increase of general culture of production;

strict observance of technological standards of water resources use and consumption;

maintenance in the proper state of operating facilities and operative control over the influence on water objects;

prevention of emergencies;

provision of timely extraction of waste and the cleaning of constructed territories, the proper control from the part of the environmental protection bodies concerning the state of constructed territories of cities;

observance of legislation regarding the mode of use of the littoral fields and the water protective zones;

the control over the protection and use of organic and mineral fertilizers, weed-killers, detergents, oil products etc. in order to prevent their penetration into the water objects.

The determination of the priority goals and ways of their performance is carried out in accordance with two stages of ecological treatment of the Dnipro river.

The aim of first stage ( until 2000 year) consists of significant improvement of ecological situation due to stabilization and annual decrease of the pollution rates and water objects exhaustion, the establishing of legal, organizing and economic pre-conditions to the transfer towards ecologically safe use of water objects.

The major tasks of this stage include:

restriction of harmful influence of the most dangerous toxic matters of water sources of the Dnipro river, the termination of disposal of polluted sewage waters coming out from utilities, the providing of sewage water treatment in accordance with the project standards for treatment facilities;

decrease of water consumption on the basis of rational water use considering structural economy reconstruction, technological modernization and reconstruction of the industrial and agricultural production;

completion of construction of water protective zones and littoral fields of all basin reservoirs;

development and putting into operation of legislative, normative and economic base of safety use of water resources and their protection from pollution;

improvement of management system of water use, the water protection and water resources renewal according to the directions of ecological treatment of the Dnipro river basin and the improvement of drinking water quality;

promotion of the economic mechanism for carrying out the water protection activity;

implementation of basin principle of management of water use, waters protection and water resources renewal;

improvement of system of monitoring of ecological state of the Dnipro river basin by the development of departmental networks and services, creation of center of data base generalizing on the ecological state of the Dnipro river basin as an integral part of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety;

development and implementation of the agreement on the water supply and water protection with Russian Federation and Belarus, provision the effective international cooperation;

development and implementation of programs for ecological training and education.

At the first stage it is necessary to stress on the termination of disposal of toxic matters from the municipal treatment facilities, the significant decrease of pollution coming from industrial objects, cattle-breeding farms and rural settlements, urbanized territories, construction of cheap facilities from the sediments of heavy matters on the sewerage systems of large cities through which the most part of biogenic pollution are disposed.

At the first stage it is stipulated the performance of scientific research, project and building and installation works in order to take measures developed accordingly to determined directions.

At the second stage ( until 2010 year) they plan to perform the implementation of large-scale measures concerning the full termination of disposal of toxic matters within the determined standards. If the similar measures are taken in the upper part of the basin ( Belarus, Russian Federation) it is expected to achieve the quality rate of the Dnipro river basin to be equal to utilities and fishing industry standards, which will guaranty the ecological safety of population viability and achievement of the balance between levels of harmful effect to the water object and their capability to renewal.

The main tasks of this stage include:

improvement of structural reconstruction of economy on the basis of continuous economic development;

implementation of ecological protection measures in the production process; provision of conformity of production processes in industry, agriculture and municipal economy with ecological requirements, norms and standards;

carrying out of water protection steps in settlements, economic objects, agricultural lands that result in safe use of the water objects in the Dnipro river basin;

implementation of scientifically grounded technologies of water protection activity in zones influenced by the Chornobyl Nuclear Plant, which will provide the disposal and elimination of surface and filtration waters including radionuclides, in accordance with radiation safety standards;

general ecological treatment of waterways and reservoirs as a result of implementation of large-scale measures in water scoops, and provision of normative quality of surface waters;

development and implementation of ecological standards of stability limits of ecosystem of the Dnipro river basin against antropogenic strains and determination on their basis of magnitudes of balance of processes of water use and water resources renewal for continuos and stable economic development of basin territory;

improvement of ecological-economic system regulating the economic activity in the Dnipro river basin in order to renew natural features of water objects, create conditions for competent management of water resources use and labor sources development;

creation of computer-aided system of evaluation of ecological situations and prognosticating the harmful influence on the water objects;

development and implementation of computer-aided technologies of management of water resources and labor sources use;

integration of organizational, technical and informative into the world commonwealth in the field of water protective activity;

At the second stage it is planned to continue the carrying out of research, research and development and building-mounting works directed to the fulfillment of measures determined by the Program.

VI. Priority tasks and complex of measures subject to major directions and expected results of their implementation

1. Protection of surface and underground waters from the pollution

Strategic goal consists in attainment of ecologically safe use of water resources, which will guaranty an ecological safety of water objects, including cases of technogenic accidents, and to create pre-conditions for definition of all factors required to the necessary balance between harmful effect to the water resources of the Dnipro river and their renewal capability.

Major goals:

decrease of concentration of biogenic matters, oil products, pesticides, heavy metals ions, radionuclides and other harmful elements in the water objects of the Dnipro river basin;

termination of water objects pollution;

improvement of normative legislative and ecological and economic base for the purpose of the improvement of quality of water objects;

improvement of registration system, monitoring and control of surface and underground water pollution, the development and putting into operation of the system of identification and instrument control over all permanent sources of pollution of surface waters with the creation of the appropriate information data base.

Priority measures and ways of their performance:

a) The organization of existing water drain on dwelling and utility objects.

Long-term goals:

complete termination of disposal of untreated and insufficiently treated sewage waters coming from utilities;

provision of the conformity of treatment level of sewage waters to the determined norms and standards;

Intermediate goals:

termination of sewage water disposal in the places where they can significantly effect to ecological and sanitary-hygienic water reservoir state;

provision of the conformity of treatment levels of sewage water to project parameters of treatment facilities.

This program includes measures stipulated by the State Program of Water Supply and Provision of Ukrainian Settlements with Appropriate Sewerage Services for 1996-2000, developed in accordance with the Resolution of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine “On Epidemic Situation in Connection with Cholera Spread” (Vidomosti of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine, 1994, No. 40, 369), and Program of development of water-sewerage facilities in Ukraine, measures concerning the large scale construction and reconstruction of the treatment facilities ( drainage network, pump stations etc.) cities, towns and rural settlements, military settlements, infection hospitals (departments).

The following tasks and principles are taken as a basis of the Program:

elimination of disproportion between the water pipe and drainage capacities in order to increase the productivity of treatment facilities operation;

completion of construction of objects with high level of construction readiness and completion and putting them into operation;

priority direction of state investments for taking steps regarding the prevention of untreated sewage water penetration into the water objects of basin;

solution of problem of decrease of scope of sediments which are formed on the drainage treatment facilities due to extended implementation of technology related to their mechanic dehydration;

replacement of emergency drainage networks and used equipment of treatment stations;

elimination of second bacterial pollution of reservoirs in connection with construction and putting into the operation of treatment facilities of infection hospitals.

For the purpose of increasing the operational rate of treatment facilities it is stipulated as follows:

support on the state level of development and implementation of modern technologies of sewage treatment;

prevention of pollution of utilities by the untreated and insufficiently treated industrial sewage waters, the creation of conditions regarding the effective control over pollution;

development and implementation of effective measures concerning the responsibility of utilities for the pollution of surface and underground water.

b) The regulation of current drainage systems existing on the economic objects.

Long-term goals: complete termination of disposal of untreated and insufficiently treated sewage waters of economy objects; provision of conformity of sewage waters treatment to determined norms and standards upon the use of updated technologies.

Intermediate goals:

termination of disposal of polluted sewage waters in places where their amounts have a significant effect to ecological and sanitary-hygienic state of reservoirs;

provision of the conformity of levels of sewage waters treatment to treatment facilities parameters.

Construction (reconstruction) of treatment facilities of economic objects needs to be supported on the state level in complex of steps regarding the reconstruction of the economy structure. For the regulation of current water drain on the economy objects it is stipulated:

implementation of economic and administrative measures of regulation and stimulation of construction and reconstruction of treatment facilities on industrial enterprises due to their own investments and other financial sources;

development and implementation of methods for processing and utilization of treatment facilities wastes;

increase of responsibility for the authenticity of information on disposal of the secondly used waters;

development and putting into operation of the system of identification of trespassers of requirements established for disposal of sewage waters to the municipal drainage and provision of the legal background thereto;

provision of economic objects with emission monitoring equipment to be used for control over sewage water disposal;

improvement of control over preliminary treatment of production sewage waters; carrying out of necessary research works. In order to prevent the pollution of water objects and the underground water by infiltrated waters of storage of industrial waste ( especially toxic) and municipal dumps, by oil products, weed-killers etc., it is necessary to take environmental protection measures in particular on very dangerous waste storages and drainage systems of enterprises governed by the Ministry of Industry.

For the purpose of provision of the performance of appropriate ecological policy regarding the storages of industrial waste and drains it is stipulated to carry out the following:

inventarization of industrial waste and drain storages; development and implementation of standard normative documentation regarding the projecting, construction and operation of storage and industrial wastes and drains; regular non-departmental inspection of treatment facilities state;

performance of necessary research works.

The system of similar procedures must be developed and implemented regarding the storages of utilities wastes and territories contaminated by oil products, weed-killers, etc.

c) The regulation of current drainage on agricultural lands.

Long-term goals:

further development of farming in the Dnipro river basin by way of formation of ecological balance in the agricultural production and the achievement of anti-erosive stability of agricultural landscapes;

full termination of disposal of untreated collector-drainage waters and drains of intensive cattle-breeding enterprises.

Intermediate goals:

provision of maximum possible regulation of surface drains from agricultural lands;

termination of disposal of polluted sewage waters in places where their amounts have a significant effect to ecological and sanitary-hygienic state of water reservoirs.

Agrotechnical and water protection measures on the agricultural lands of the basin have been prepared by the State Committee for Land Resources subject to the requirements of regional programs for lands protection from waters activity and wind erosion, and other kinds of lands degradation, developed in accordance with the Decree No.334 of the Cabinet of the Ministers of Ukraine " On priority measures regarding the preparation and carrying out of the land reform" dated May 7, 1993.

The Program stipulates:

construction of anti-erosion hydrotechnical facilities ( land banks, ditches, terraces, roads, gutter drops, water drains, dams, anti-erosion storage ponds of hard drainage) etc.;

agrotechnical anti-erosion measures (alkalization of plough, non-spoil treatment of soil);

recultivation of destroyed lands;

conservation of eroded and technogenically polluted tillage ( by way of alkalization and forest planting) implementation of prospective hydrotechnical measures regarding the elimination of collector drainage and bio-engineering facilities construction. Prevention of water objects pollution by sewage waters of enterprises of intensive cattle-breeding is performed by way of : construction of pus storage facilities; transfer to the litter maintenance of domestic animals etc.

The fulfillment of above measures after carrying out of the appropriate works regarding their research, standards and methodological provision must be stipulated by regional and municipal ecological programs with involvement of enterprises investments and other financial sources.

For the purpose of taking of measures regarding the regulation of current drainage system existing on agricultural lands it is stipulated as follows: development and the implementation of standard legislative documentation;

carrying out of organizational technical measures (provision of strict control over protection and use) to prevent the penetration of organic and mineral fertilizers, weed-killers, detergents, oil products into water objects etc.;

development and implementation of penalties and fees for breaching rules of storage, use and losses in the environment of plant protection chemicals and fertilizers.

carrying out of special researches on the pollution of water objects from diffusive sources as a result of washing down from the surface of agricultural fields, cattle-breeding complexes, farms.

d) The regulation of current drain on the urbanized territories.

Long-term goals: full termination of disposal of untreated surface sewage waters into water objects on the territories of cities and rural settlements. Intermediate goals: termination of water object pollution; termination of disposal of polluted sewage waters in places where their amounts have a significant effect to ecological and sanitary-hygienic state of water reservoirs.

For the purpose of provision of proper regulation of drainage system existing on the urbanized territories it is stipulated as follows:

reconstruction of drainage system, provision of raining water drains with facilities to trap the toxic matters contained in disposed waters; provision of strict control by nature protection bodies over residential and industrial territories of cities and timely elimination of wastes;

formation of new networks of raining water drains and their direction to the treatment facilities while carrying out reconstruction and construction works in cities an towns;

development and implementation of appropriate normative and legislative documentation;

development and putting into operation of system for evaluation of treatment facilities and registration of municipal drains together with creation of appropriate information data base.

e) Provision of ecologically safe operation of the Dnipro river cascade reservoirs.

Long-term and intermediate goals:

increase of level of ecologically safe operation of water reservoirs;

improvement of sanitary-hygienic state of the most ecologically sensitive parts of reservoirs;

provision of engineering and technical conditions necessary for the economic activity and people living on certain riverside zones, prevention of risk of dangerous geological processes as a result of water reservoirs activity;

decrease of antropogenic evtrofication of water reservoirs;

provision of conditions for renewal and protection of biological resources;

provision of scientific ground of optimal regime of reservoirs operation and ecological regimentation of drainage regimes.

Provision of necessary engineering technical conditions of economic activity and living of population ( bank fortification, measures directed to prevent flooding of attached territories, construction of protective dams etc.), decrease of antropogenic evtrofication of reservoirs, creation of water protection zones and in some parts of aquatory and in the riverside zone of reserved zones with appropriate facilities and operation regime is provided by carrying out the planned procedures pursuant to the other directions of the Program. Besides in order to improve the sanitary state and to increase fishing stock of reservoirs they stipulate the expansion of fish growing capacities and putting fish, which substantially eat river plants, into reservoirs, performance of other environmental protection measures in accordance with the "Dniproryba" Program, developed by Minrybgosp ( the Ministry of Fishing) and the "Ukrrybgosp" Association, and appropriate scientific and research provision. The fulfillment of other environmental protection measures of the Program (separation of shallow or renewal of follow-island system, measures regarding the prevention of second pollution of waters by bottom deposits of the Dnipro river and reservoirs), directed towards the improvement of ecological state of reservoirs, must be performed subject to the ecological features both of reservoirs and flooded lands of the Dnipro river only after the complex of research and project works and experimental studies has been fulfilled. For the purpose of carrying out the Program’s steps the regulation and ajustment of Operation Rules of the Dnipro river cascade reservoirs is stipulated.

e) Prevention of the underground water pollution

Long-term goals: state of the underground waters ( regarding both their quality and quantity) is controlled in order to provide their permanent and safe use by appropriate branches of economy with the provision of stable development of interconnected environment elements ( flora, landscape etc.). Intermediate goals: prevention of underground water pollution in the most ecologically unfavorable regions. Measures of the underground waters protection and elimination of sources of their pollution, including first surface waters of water horizons, are provided due to the performance of planned measures defined by other directions of Program. In order to prevent the pollution of underground waters it is stipulated to carry out the following:

development and putting into operation of identification and improvement control system for all current and potential source of pollution of underground waters together with creation of appropriate informational data base;

creation of system that carries out control over the underground water quality;

investigation and evaluation of technogenic strain on the underground waters, their protection capability and quality state;

and organization of monitoring activity.

2. Ecologically safe use of water resources

Strategic goal constitutes in the provision of priority of environmental protection functions over the economic functions in the process of water resources use, rational use of surface and underground water, common implementation of water protective technologies in all fields of economy.

Principal goals:

decrease of water use capacities and water drain with the implementation of intensive method of water economy;

decrease of water expenses and disposal of polluted sewage water due to the improvement of technological processes in metallurgical, coke-chemical, mining and other fields of industry; decrease of consumption of fresh water by the industry due to use of mineralized underground and mining waters;

use of circulated and repeatedly used water on the level of 90-92% of total volume which is consummated by industrial plants.

Priority measures and ways of their implementation:

a) Ecosystem regulation of water consumption needs. In order to ensure the ecosystem regulation of water resources protection and water consumption they stipulate as follows:

development of basin system of water use and waters protection, as well of water economic balances;

improvement of scheme of regime management of water resources use with the development and implementation of method of structure optimization and the priority of water use by way of implementation of step-by-step territorial subject-to-subject licensing and regimentation; development and implementation of methods for regulation of placement, development, and structure of economic objects with the priority consideration of conditions for their water supply and the stable ecosystem and anthropological strain;

development of standards of ecological safety of water use;

development and implementation of standards for rational water use in settlements, on the economic objects and agricultural lands;

carrying out of inventarization of water intakes by objects of economic activity;

improvement of registration system and control for rational water resources use;

stimulation of water provision of industrial needs due to the additionally treated sewage water coming from the settlement, mineralized underground and mining waters, repeated use of industrial sewage water after appropriate preparation, collector drain water after their treatment etc.

b) regulation and increase of technical and technological level of specific water use.

The performance of measures must be provided by:

carrying out of environmental protection plans developed by objects of economic activity, as well of branch scientific technical and investment, regional and local ecological programs;

provision of water use report;

fulfillment of the Program of step-by-step provision of dwelling fund by the facilities of report and regulation of and use of water and thermal energy for 1995-2000 years.

increase of reliability of water supply system of drinking water.

c) The implementation of small water and waterless technologies, repeated sewage water use, circulated (without drain) systems of industrial water supply.

The performance of measures stipulates:

support on the state level ( due to the state grant, stimulation of promotion of own investments) construction and reconstruction of facilities of industrial water supply plants of mining and chemical branches of industry in the complex of steps regarding their structure reconstruction;

construction and reconstruction of facilities of production water supply of economic objects;

implementation of water protection technologies in the agriculture

(dropping and other kinds of irrigation);

development and implementation of program of complex use of audit services in order to evaluate the influence of production technologies on water objects and methods of their improvement.

Strategic goal - the improvement of total ecological state of water objects of the Dnipro river Basin, which will ensure stable operation natural ecosystem and harmonically development of economy enterprises in its basin.

Major goals:

renewal of small rivers and major tributaries of the Dnipro river by way of creation of water protective zones and littoral fields, and clearing and regulation along appropriate measures regarding the drains existing in their water collector basins;

improvement of hydrological, morphological and hydrochemical regime of reservoirs and drains for the purpose of creation of conditions for balanced development of biota and continuous use by human;

improvement of increase of kind diversity of animals and plants in water objects;

formation of such features of rivers bed, banks and littoral fields and zones, which will provide the possibility of the development of self-regulative biocenoses;

protection of landscapes reproductive function, optimization of their structure and provision of ecological balance of natural processes by way of achievement of optimal ratio of different kinds of fields in the water intakes of the river basin.

Priority measures and way of their implementation:

a) Creation and regulation of water protective zones and littoral fields.

provision of works performance, connected with creation and regulation of water protective zones of littoral fields;

renewal of flora covering on the water objects banks;

support of the determined regime on the territories of water protective zones and littoral fields.

b) Works on the rivers and water objects.

renewal and support of favorable hydrological regime and sanitary state of river;

banks fortification.

c) The performance of agrotechnical, agricultural-forestry-ameliorative and hydrotechnical anti-erosion measures.

For the purpose of termination of negative process on river water intakes and complex implementation of soil protective contour meliorate system of farming it is stipulated to take measures, stipulated by Conception of the development of agriculture in Ukraine for the period until 2005 approved by the Decree No.107 of the Council of the Ministers of Ukrainian Republic of May 8, 1990, in particular:

implementation of soil protective system of agriculture with contour-ameliorative organization of water intake territory;

alkalization of significantly eroded tillage lands with their transfer to the category of improved haymaking;

creation of protective forests on the dangerously eroded lands;

withdrawal from the agricultural circulation of non-productive lands for forest plantations, etc.;

construction of anti-erosive hydrotechnical facilities.

c) Prevention of harmful effect of water activity ( construction of hydrotechnical facilities, protective dams etc.)

Developed measures will be accomplished in accordance with the Complex Program on carrying out of floods prevention measures in Ukraine for 1994-2000, approved by the Resolution No.37 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, dated January 26, 1994.

For the purpose of taking measures directed to the renewal and support of favorable hydrological state of rivers and struggle with the harmful river activity the Program stipulates:

development and implementation of standards of water rates of rivers and other water objects and their ecologically safe water use;

development and implementation of criteria of actual evaluation, of safety admissible level of antropogenic strain and prognostication of water reservoirs state;

provision of strict control over observance of legislation regarding the regime of use of littoral fields and water protective zones;

development and implementation in the Dnipro river of system of state responsibility for breaching the rules of water reservoirs use, water protection zones and littoral fields regime;

completion of ecological passportisation of small rivers and other water objects in accordance with the Decree No.658 of the Council of Ministers of Ukrainian Republic, December 18, 1987 together with creation of information data base;

improvement of monitoring system and control over state of water objects, water protection zones and littoral fields, zone of sanitary protection, etc.;

e) works for improvement of natural preserves network

Goal:

protection of integral unique ecosystem of the Dnipro river basin;

provision of protection of biological and geographic diversity, improvement of support of ecological stability of ecosystem and structure of natural complexes;

renewal and support of water protective, reproductive and other function of ecosystem, and renewal of resources where the rivers origin.

The Program stipulates carrying out of measures in accordance with the Resolution of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine “On the Program of prospective development of natural preserves network in Ukraine”(Vidomosti of Supreme Rada of Ukraine, 1994, No 48, 430), in particular:

expansion of network of natural preserves network in the Dnipro river basin, its accommodation and maintenance;

development and implementation of system of reference territories for carrying out ecological monitoring on the basis of natural preserves network of basin; and

carrying out the research work connected with the formation and processing the cadastre of territories and objects of natural preserves network in the Dnipro river basin.

4. Implementation of basin principle of the management of water use, protection and resources renewal

Major goals:

improvement of system of management of water use, water protection and water resources renewal;

implementation of principles for improvement of ecological state of water objects on the basis of basin approach, which will be the base for development and implementation of the waters protection programs of areas, regions and some settlements.

Priority measures and way of their implementation:

development of procedures and projecting of organizing structures and functional scheme of management in the basin;

development and approval of the Provision on the basin principle of management of water use and waters protection, renewal of water resources and ecological treatment of water objects;

preparation of other legislative acts that ensure the implementation of basin principle of management;

carrying out of standards methodological base of the ecological and investment activities and functioning the management infrastructure in the basin.

development and coordination of directive documents and standards methodological base of system of registration, monitoring and control over water use, waters protection and water resources renewal in the basin;

creation (projecting, appropriate arrangement etc.) of basin geoinformation system with the water-ecological information background.

5. Improvement of drinking water quality

The tasks of good quality drinking water supply on the territory of the Dnipro river basin generally consist of provision of good quality state of surface and underground water objects.

Effeciency of measures according to the quality provision of drinking water first of all will be determined by the scale and productivity of water protective measures concerning the decrease and neutralization of negative antropogenic strain to water resources, and not only by the development of water supply system and providing the appropriate quality preparation.

Strategic goal consists in the provision of good quality state of surface and underground objects as a sources of drinking water supply, provision of population with the sufficient volume of good quality drinking water.

Major goals:

improvement of system of provision of the population with good quality drinking water;

decrease of unproductive expenditures and water second pollution in water supply networks;

solution of issues regarding the provision of rural population with good quality drinking water in the areas where it does not correspond to the requested standards.

Priority measures and way of their implementation:

development and creation of new system of water supply in the cities, rural settlements, military settlements and garrisons, and in the villages;

reconstruction of emergency water supply networks with the replacement of damaged equipment;

improvement of preparation level in the utility and departmental water supply systems by putting into operation of new technologies of water treatment and disinfecting of drinking water;

provision of balance of water supply objects facilities and sewage water treatment facilities and drainage networks in the places of their construction.

The Program's steps regarding the improvement of drinking water quality must be implemented at the same time with the accomplishment of other measures and programs, in particular:

National program of provision of population of Ukraine by good quality drinking water, which stipulates:

provision of water supply systems for settlement with equipment and reagents for improvement of drinking water quality;

improvement of branch system of monitoring of drinking water quality rate;

transfer to the use of alternative sources of providing the population with drinking water subject to regional particularities (determination of possibilities and capacities of implementation of infiltrated water intakes in the Dnipro river basin, use of individual and local apparatus for drinking water treatment, production of bottled and packed water etc.);

improvement of economic and legislative procedures of water supply functioning;

The Program of step-by-step provision of utilities with the facilities of report and regulation of water consumption and thermal energy for 1995-2000, which stipulates the implementation of apparatus of water consumption registration for the purpose of its rational use;

development and implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Drinking Water” for the purpose of normative maintenance of interrelations between the owners of utilities, servicing enterprises and their customers.

Strategic goal consists in the decrease of influence of radiation pollution on the state of the Dnipro river basin objects.

Major goals:

localization of polluted by radionuclides surface waters located closely to the CNPP (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant) and trapping the surface drains from the territory of Belarus, decrease of penetration of radionuclides into the water objects, prevention of radiation pollution of soil and underground waters from wells which are not in use;

implementation of scientific grounded technology of water protection activity in zones of CNPP influence and prevention of other cases of radiation pollution of water system.

Priority measures and ways of their implementation:

continuation of works directed to the liquidation of consequences of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster concerning the prevention of water objects pollution by radioactive matters in accordance with the National Program of Minimization of Consequences of Chernobyl Disaster and the Scheme of water protection measures directed to prevent the radiation pollution of surface and underground waters in the isolated zone of CNPP (Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant), which stipulate the performance of engineering water protective measures within the CNPP zone, in particular:

carrying out of river bed improvement and banks fortification works on the Prypiat river;

prevention of radiation pollution of soil and underground waters of wells which are not in use;

dam construction on the right-shore flood-lands of the Prypiat river;

construction on the polder left-shore “Prypiatska” system of channel for trapping the surface drain waters from the territory of Belarus and local drainage and directing them to the CNPP cooling pond;

development and implementation of scientifically based technologies of water protection activity in zone of CNPP influence.

For the purpose of provision of the implementation of measures concerning the decrease of radioactive pollution it is stipulated to carry out the following:

development and implementation of methodology for prognisticating water objects radiation state;

development and implementation of methods for treatment of water objects from the radiation pollution;

development of monitoring system of radiation pollution.

Carrying out of offered measures to the full extent will ensure the ecologically safe use of the Dnipro river basin water objects and will be the guarantee of termination of worsening of ecological state of rivers and ponds and formation of stable tendencies to the improvement of their water quality and appropriate improvement of drinking water quality.

VII. Scientific and technical base of the Program

For the purposes of solution of tasks of scientific and technical grounds of specific environmental protection measures of the Program it is seemed to be reasonable to expend the works scale regarding their research, standards and methodological provision, improvement of monitoring system, formation of basin informative system of ecological management, etc.

The development of scientific and technical methods for performance of tasks and Program’s steps must be performed by institutions of interested ministries and departments with the appropriate coordination of leading organizations under the following directions:

regulation of current water drains on the utility objects by institutions of the Derjjytlocomungosp (the State Committee for Dwelling and Utility) and the National Academy of Sciences;

regulation of current water drain on the economic objects of Minprom (the Ministry of Industry) and other branch ministries, and the National Academy of Sciences;

regulation of current drain on the agricultural fields - of Minsilgospprod ( the Ministry of Agriculture and Food), Derjkomzem ( the State Committee for Land Resources );

regulation of current water drain on urbanized territories - Derjcommistobuduvannya ( the State Committee for City Construction);

provision of the safe ecological operation of water reservoirs of the Dnipro river cascade - Derjvodgosp (the State Committee for Water Resources), the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety, the National Academy of Sciences, the State Committee for Hydrology and Meteorology and the Ministry of Power Industry and Electrification;

prevention of underground waters pollution - the State Committee for Geology, the National Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety;

ecologically safe use of water resources (regulation and increase of technical and technological level of special water use; implementation of small-water and waterless technologies, repeated use of drain waters, circulated (without drainage) system of production water supply) - the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety, the National Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Industry and other branch ministries;

renewal and maintenance of favorable hydrological rivers state and measures taken against harmful water effects - the State Committee for Water Resources, the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety and the National Academy of Sciences;

implementation of the basin principle of management of water use, waters protection and water resources renewal - the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety and the State Committee for Water Resources;

improvement of drinking water quality - the State Committee for Dwelling and Utilities, the Ministry of Public Health and the National Academy of Sciences;

decrease of radioactive pollution influence - the Ministry of Chernobyl, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety and the State Committee for Hydrology and Meteorology.

In order to agree upon the abovesaid directions of researches, definition of terms, executors, scopes and sources of financing the Complex Program of scientific and research works regarding the ecological renewal of the Dnipro river basin must be developed with participation of scientific center of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety, the National Academy of Sciences, the State Committee for Water Resources, the State Committee for Dwelling and Utilities, the State Committee for Hydrology and Meteorology, the State Committee for Geology and others.

In order to provide the state management bodies with regular and operative information on the state of environment, prognostications regarding its changes and development on this basis of scientifically grounded recommendations for making appropriate decisions, comprehensive support of measures directed to the development of system of ecological monitoring and information system of ecological management in the Dnipro river basin with allocation of appropriate financial and technical resources and provision of personnel has to be stipulated.

On the basis of systematic data of the state system of observation and respective scientific achievements the scientific report and annuals considering the ecological state of the Dnipro river will be prepared.

VIII. Approximate calculations of value of the Program’s implementation and source of its financing.

The improvement of ecological state of the Dnipro river basin must be carried out both on the basis of implementation of the Program’s steps and on the basis of state branch, regional and local ecological programs, at the expense of funds of Oblast and local budgets, out-of-budget funds and own capacities of economic bodies of all forms of ownership.

Subject to the necessity of definition of full complex of steps to be taken for the improvement of ecological state of the Dnipro river basin and quality of drinking water for determination of their effectiveness and entering them into projects of annual plans of the national economy development in compliance with basin principle of planning and management pursuant to the Water Code of Ukraine, the Program includes steps of approved or developed programs related to the Dnipro river basin, in particular:

State Program on Water Supply and Provision of Ukrainian Settlements with Appropriate Sewerage Services that was developed in accordance with the Resolution of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine “On Epidemic Situation in Connection with Cholera Spread” (Vidomosti of Supreme Rada of Ukraine, 1994, No. 40, 369) and the Program of development of water-sewerage facilities of Ukraune.

Complex Program on Floods Prevention Steps for 1994-2000,

Program of Prospective Development of Preserves Sector in Ukraine

Program “Dniproriba” (Dnipro fish) developed by the Ministry of Fishing and Association “Ukrribhosp” (Ukrainian fishing company);

developed by the State Committee for Land Resources pursuant to the Resolution No.334 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated May 7, 1993 “On Priority Steps Regarding the Preparation and Implementation of Land Reforms” agricultural-technical and water protection steps to be taken on the agricultural lands of the basin, which stipulate the performance of appropriate amount of works related to the construction of anti-erosive hydro-technical structures in the water storage areas at the expense of funds of the state budget. Other agricultural-technical and anti-erosive steps (alkalizing, tillage, non-spoil treatment of soil), recultivation of used lands, conservation of eroded and technogenically polluted tillage, etc., shall be carried out substantially by own forces of enterprises and other land users.

Given the fact that the prevention or reduction of harmful influence of the production on the water objects is an integral part of technological process subject to its completeness and ecological direction, it is necessary to ensure the interaction between the management of nature protection and economic activity. In connection therewith it is stipulated:

to stimulate the inclusion of water protection and water maintenance steps into general programs of development of the production branches that will assist in the reduction of total costs;

to ensure the application of the Program’s strategy for making decisions regarding the development of the economy sectors and water protection steps to be taken on certain objects that pollute surface and underground waters.

In the accordance with the draft of the Mining and Metallurgy Ukrainian Complex Development National Program the disposals of wastes by the industrial enterprises into the rivers and reservoirs ought to be stopped by the modernization of the metallurgy production and the implementation of the maximum productive and pure technologies, for the period until 2010.

However the implementation of new technologies, that will require big capital investments and considerable time periods, does not guaranty the improvement of ecological state of enterprises in the event of failure to carry out these technologies, and more than that, it may result even in worsening of the ecological situation. In connection therewith the Program together with the Ministry of Industry provides the steps on extension or reconstruction of recently operated purification structures and other water protection objects on production enterprises. On the basis of the abovesaid it is clear that the preparation of proposals for creation of lists of nature protections objects, when developing plan projects for appropriate years with provision of priority to complex steps of reconstruction of enterprises, is to be carried out more carefully.

Regional and local ecological programs with promotion of funds of enterprises and other sources of financing must stipulate taking of steps regarding the prevention of pollution of water objects by sewerage waters of cattle-breeding farms by way of construction of pus accumulation containers and transfer to the litter maintenance of domestic animals, etc., after appropriate works regarding their scientific and research, normative and methodological provision have been carried out.

Regional and local ecological programs must stipulate taking of steps regarding the prevention of pollution of water objects by drain waters of cities by way of the reconstruction of system of water offsets and provision of rain drainage network with equipment catching toxic elements contained in drained waters after appropriate works regarding their scientific and research, normative and methodological provision have been carried out.

Statements of value of priority steps to be taken in settlement period till 2000 and till 2100 are determined on the basis of prices of 1996 pursuant to lists of nature protection objects to be constructed on the industrial and other enterprises, in settlements and on rivers and water reservoirs.

In total at about 4190,6 billion hryvni. (subject to prices in 1996) must be allocated for performance of tasks of the National Program on the Improvement of Ecological State of the Dnipro River Basin and Quality of Drinking Water, including:

1380,37 billion hryvni. for construction and reconstruction of structures and networks of water supply and sewerage system of cities, urban settlements, military settlements and garrisons, and infection clinics (sewerage system);

912,52 billion hryvni. for taking of complex of water protection steps on industrial enterprises of ministries and departments;

837,9 billion hryvni. for implementation of water protection steps to be taken on rivers and water reservoirs;

903,72 billion hryvni. for taking of water and soil protection steps in the water storage areas of the basin;

41,01 billion hryvni. for maintenance and development of nature-preserve fund;

115,79 billion hryvni. for scientific and technical base for the Program’s steps.

General statements of value of the abovesaid steps are listed in Tables 1 and 2 (Appendices 1) in accordance with main directions and with definition of physical amounts of works or capacity of objects against their payments development. Statements of value and amounts of steps stipulated by the Program within Oblasts are set up in Appendix 2(Tables 1-15).

The list of the urgent environmental protection measures regarding the environmental improvement in the Dnipro basin is set up in Appendix 3.

It is necessary to point out that funds for the Program’s implementation regarding years of its performance in connection with taking of steps of the State Program on Water Supply and Provision of Ukrainian Settlements with Appropriate Sewerage Services (within the Dnipro river basin) are distributed irregularly; statements and amount of financing of such State Program are calculated till 2000 and agreed upon with appropriate ministries, departments and state administrations. Given the fact that the performance of planned steps does not correspond in full to economical possibilities of regions and the state as the whole, it is stipulated to adjust the said direction of the Program since 2000 taking into consideration of scope of implementation of the State Program on Water Supply and Provisions of Ukrainian Settlements with Appropriate Sewerage Services and taking additional steps, if necessary.

Amount of investments for taking water protection steps on economic objects may be adjusted pursuant to goals of the Program regarding full termination of drain into water reservoirs of dirty or insufficiently purified sewerage waters and upon appropriate promotion of funds of enterprises and other sources of financing.

The important condition of the implementation of the Program’s steps is a financial provision of performance of water protection steps stipulated by appropriate resolutions and decrees of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine with respect to:

works related to the liquidation of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station disaster for the purposes of preventing the pollution of water objects by radioactive elements in accordance with Scheme of water protection steps to be taken with respect to radioactive pollution of surface and underground waters in alienation zone of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station and other nature protection steps of the National Program on Minimization of Consequences of the Chernobyl Disaster;

completion of ecological passportization of small rivers and other water objects in accordance with the Decree No. 658 of the Government of Ukraine dated December 18, 1987, together with creation of respective information data base.

The necessary condition of the Program’s implementation is an approval by the Government and appropriate sufficient financing of steps stipulated by:

National Program on the provision of Ukrainian people with good quality drinking water;

Program of step-by-step provision of dwelling fund with means of calculation and regulation of consumption of water and thermal energy in 1995-2000;

State Program of scientific and technical reconstruction of system of observations and basic system of supervision over environmental pollution;

State Programs of social and economic development of Pollissya region, Ukrainian Black Sea and Dnipro attached territories.

Therefore the package of steps and investment project may be created; their performance will allow to solve both actual branch and regional problems and task of the Program within its priority directions, that will constitute a great contribution to the general improvement of ecological state of the basin.

Analysis of the present state of financial provision of nature protection steps in the Dnipro river basin evidences that in 1995 5986 billion krb (or 5986 million grivni) of budget assignation were directed to the environmental protection, including 1329 billion krb.(or 13,29 millions grivni) for the protection steps in the Dnipro river basin.

3000 billion krb (or 30,0 millions grivni)(39,6%) from 7484 billion krb (or 74,84 millions grivni) of centralized investments into construction of structures and networks of water pipes and sewerage systems in cities and urban settlements and water protection steps to be taken on industrial enterprises, were allocated for objects located in the Dnipro river basin. 44 billion krb(or 440 thousands grivni) of out-of-budget water protection funds of all levels were allocated for needs of the Dnipro river basin protection. In total 4,373 billion krb. (or 43,73 millions grivni) were allocated for the performance of nature protection measures in the Dnipro river basin in 1995.

Costs of Section “Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety” of the State Budget of Ukraine in 1996 constitute 9,566 millions hryvni. The list of water protection steps stipulated by the Program at the expense of all sources of financing, after its approval will be determined by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety with participation of ministries, departments and state administrations interested in.

Analysis of costs for the implementation of the Program’s tasks shows that the biggest amount of funds (32,9% of value of all complex of steps) will be spent for carrying out works related to the construction and reconstruction of structures and networks of water supply and sewerage system services for cities and settlements.

Such scopes of investments subject to present state of the economy exceeds the financial possibilities of the state. Thus this question must be solved purposefully within the State Program on Water Supply and Provision of Ukrainian Settlements with Appropriate Sewerage Services.

Except the abovesaid works and tasks regarding the construction of water protection objects on industrial enterprises, the total amount of costs at the expense of the state budget within the term period of the Program’s implementation amounts to 1897,71 million hryvni , or in average to 135 million per year.

Provided the annual allocation of funds form the state budget for full covering of expenses that respectively are covered at the expense of earnings for the use of natural resources, the possibility of implementation of other nature protection steps of the Program is created.

The improvement of ecological state of the Dnipro river basin will give the possibility to avoid material losses to the economy and population. In connection therewith at the expense of increase of scope of fishing out in the water reservoirs of the Dnipro cascade and tributaries and renewal of fish reserves in the water object of the Dnipro river basin and the Black Sea the state will obtain 215 millions hryvni of annual net profit. Besides, the improvement of water quality in the water objects of the basin will give the possibility to save funds necessary for additional treatment of drinking water in the most polluted and those places of location of water scoops that don’t comply with “Drinking Water” 2874-82 GOST (state standard), for the population needs, and considerably reduce the number of diseases of population, as well as to increase the recreation potential of the Dnipro river and its tributaries.

The implementation of offered steps (strengthening banks of the Dnipro cascade, taking of flood prevention steps, soil protection works on the territory of the basin, etc.) will assist in the improvement of ecological state and prevent losses that may be caused to the economy and the population.

The implementation of the Program shall be carried out with a help of purposeful state system that includes:

a) legislative and legal base;

b) economic mechanism;

c) organizational mechanism; and

d) control over the Program’s performance.

For the purposes of perfection of legislative and legal base it is necessary to:

1) to adopt new legislative acts:

Law of Ukraine “On Drinking Water”;

Law of Ukraine “On Main Directions of the State Policy Regarding the Environmental Protection, Use of Natural Resources and Provision of Ecological Safety”;

2) make changes and additions to the following legislative acts:

Water Code of Ukraine;

Land Code of Ukraine;

Law of Ukraine “On Environmental Protection“

3) prepare other legislative acts regarding:

the state monitoring of waters;

stimulation of workers of specially authorized state bodies and public inspectors which are engaged in the protection and control in the sector of the use and protection of waters and renewal of water resources;

maintenance of the State water cadastre;

development and approval of norms of maximum acceptable disposal of and list of toxic elements that are standardized;

list of internal waterways classified as acceptable for ship passage;

definition of amounts and limits of water protection zones and regime of carrying out the economic activity therein;

regime of zones of sanitary protection of water objects;

issuance of permits for construction, depth digging and explosion works, extraction of sand and gravel, laying of cables, water pipes and other communications on the water fund lands;

compensation of damages to the water users caused by termination of the right to the water use or change of conditions of the special use of water.

list of industrial sites of fish growing water objects (their parts);

use of sites of water funds;

making of passports of river basins;

creation of bank lines of the waterways and use thereof;

making payments for the special use of water and use of waters for the hydro-power sphere and water transport needs;

procedure for approval and issue of licenses for the special use of water;

financing of the environmental measures of the improvement of the Dnipro basin and quality of drinking water of the extend of the state budget and local budgets within the funds of corresponding budgets and out-of-budget funds of the environment protection.

In Ukraine in the process of carrying out the ecological and economical reforms the prices for the use of natural resources were established, and the economic responsibility for the pollution of environment, including water reservoirs, was stipulated. The purposeful budget financing of nature protection measures taken from the special section of the State Budget of Ukraine "Environmental Protection" is carried out. The system of out-of-budget funds has been created. For the purposes of mobilization and accumulation, on the voluntary basis, of state and non-state financial resources for carrying out nature protection measures regarding the provision of quality of water resources located in the ecosystem of the Dnipro river basin, promotion of investments for organization of financial background for the development and implementation of basin ecological-investment programs and projects, the All Ukrainian State Social Charity Fund of the Dnipro's Renewal All Ukrainian State Social Charity Fund of the Dnipro's Renewal has been created.

Projects of documents regarding the implementation of ecological audit and provision, compliance with ecological requirements upon the privatization of state enterprises, encouragement of nature protection investments and implementation of new technologies with integral economic effect have been prepared.

Therefore they create the basis of the economic mechanism capable to ensure the accumulation of funds and purposeful financing of the Program's measures according to rational organizational scheme, interconnection of all management, scientific and technical and economic activity of enterprises, institutions and organizations directed to the rational use of natural resources and effective environmental protection.

On the basis of the Program’s tasks the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety provides the annual development and submission of the list of the most important nature protective measures regarding the improvement of the Dnipro river state and drinking water quality.

The All Ukrainian State Social Charity Fund of the Dnipro's Renewal corresponding to its Resolution shall ensure the Mobilization and accumulation, on the voluntary basis, of enterprises, institutions and organizations, voluntary contributions and other funds.

Organizational work with implementation of steps and works defined by the Program shall be carried out by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety and is local bodies with delimitation of directions and types of works and sources of financing between the specially authorized state bodies acting in the sphere of protection and rational use of appropriate natural resources.

For the coordinated scientific provision of the Program with institutions and scientists of the National Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety, other ministries and departments, funds, public and charity organizations many profile scientific center of ecology and stable development in the Dnipro’s basin shall be created.

4. Control over the Program's performance

The performance of the Program's steps financed at the expense of the state budget shall be controlled by ministries and departments that are allocated assignations for designated purpose. Ministries and departments shall be responsible for the establishment of contractual prices for performance of works financed on the basis of Section "Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety" of the state budget of Ukraine.

Ministries and departments shall be responsible for the performance of nature protection steps and shall submit on a quarterly basis to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economy the information regarding the performance of steps stipulated in said Section and use of funds for such a purpose pursuant to the established form.

The control and analysis of the Program's tasks financed at the expense of the state budget and other sources, including own capital of enterprises, out-of-budget ecological funds, must be ensured by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety with participation of specially authorized state bodies engaged in the sphere of protection and rational use of appropriate natural resources subject to directions and types of works.

For the purpose of activation of Ukraine's participation in international cooperation regarding the improvement of ecological state of the Dnipro river basin the Program shall stipulate the following:

provision of the implementation of the Canadian Program on the Technical Assistance "Development of the Management of Environment in Ukraine (region of the Dnipro river basin)";

development of the International Program of the Improvement of Ecological State of the Dnipro river basin with participation of Ukraine, Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus and international organizations;

participation in international programs and projects related to the solution of problems of liquidation of radiation pollution of the Dnipro river and its tributaries; and prevention of the Black sea pollution;

making interstate basin agreement between Ukraine, Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus regarding the use and protection of waters in the Dnipro river basin;

improvement of organizational structure of management and effective use of finance resources of international assistance;

development of international collaboration when implementing the basin principle of management

For the purpose of assisting in the development of system of ecological training, provision of information and appropriate education of Ukrainian population it is stipulated to carry out the following:

improvement of information related to ecological problems of the Dnipro river, increase of the scope of ecological information provided to the community and extend its participation in the nature protection steps, and provision of distribution of actual information on goals and tasks of the Program;

improvement of professional preparation of appropriate personnel for the national economy, increase of the level of ecological culture and provision to the citizens of the country of sufficient information on safe ecological use of water objects and protection of water sources;

involving of non-state and public organizations into the implementation of the ecological policy;

development and implementation of the purposeful project of ecological and economical preparation of staff for managing the water use, protection and renewal of water resources in the basin, issuance of practical manuals and organization of probation periods for specialists;

extension of capabilities of nature protection bodies and managers of water supply objects in the sphere of development and application of economical methods by way of implementation of programs of professional training, and exchange of information;

implementation of projects aimed to provide assistance to water objects, which are in all aspects subject to the regulation activity on the part of state nature protection bodies for the purposes of making more optimal decisions regarding the nature protection;

carrying out of National competitions, festivals, exhibitions and other charitable steps;