Upper Dnieper River Basin - Environmental Protection of

BELARUS UKRAINE
Upper Dnieper River Basin
KEY WATER ISSUES
The project is funded
by the European Union
This project is implemented by a consortium
led by Hulla & Co. Human Dynamics KG
EPIRB
Environmental Protection of International River Basins
The Environmental Protection
of International River Basins
(EPIRB) project aims to
improve the quality of water in
transboundary river basins in
the wider Black Sea region,
including Belarus and Ukraine.
One of the specific objectives
is to improve technical
capacities by developing river
basin management plans
(RBMPs) in selected pilot river
basins, according to the
requirements of the EU Water
Framework Directive (WFD).
One of the selected pilot
basins is the Upper Dnieper
River basin, located in eastern
Belarus and northern Ukraine.
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The Water Framework Directive
and river basin management plans
One of the requirements of the WFD is the achievement and
preservation of good water status by managing waters in natural
units — that is, in river basins.
Good water status
is achieved when pollution
is controlled and there is
sufficient flow for ecosystems
to function and survive.
River basin planning follows a structured approach: finding out
facts, deciding on necessary actions, making a management plan,
and putting the plan into practice. An important first step is to
identify significant water management issues so that appropriate
solutions and measures can be developed.
The impacts of human activities
Human activities can lead to serious problems in terms of both
water quality and quantity. The most common water-related
problems are pollution and the effects of physical modifications
to rivers and lakes.
Water pollution can arise from two types of sources: point
sources, such as discharges from industrial facilities and
wastewater treatment plants; and diffuse sources, such as landuse activities, including agriculture.
Hydromorphological alterations include the physical modification
of waterways, such as engineered modifications to the natural
structure or flow of rivers in order to make particular use of them.
Such modifications might include land drainage, the construction
of flood defences, or the damming of rivers to provide storage for
power generation.
Another potential problem is excessive water abstraction, which
can reduce river flow and even cause rivers and lakes to dry up.
A river basin
is the
land that water flows across
or under on its way to a river.
The basin sends all the water
that falls within it to a central
river or estuary.
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UPPER DNIEPER
RIVER BASIN – Profile
TOTAL AREA
77,336.17 km2
LOCATION
67,295.35 km2 in eastern
Belarus; 10,040.82 km2 in
northern Ukraine
Lithuania
Russian
Federation
Belarus
CHARACTERISTICS
Wide natural biodiversity and
a variety of linked ecosystems,
with over 90 fish species,
182 bird species and more
than 2,500 plant species.
WATER USE
In Belarus, surface water is
mostly used by industries,
fisheries and agriculture, while
groundwater is mostly used for
drinking water supply. In Ukraine,
water abstracted in the Kyiv and
Chernihiv regions is mainly used
for industrial purposes, followed
by drinking water supply and
fishing. A small quantity of
water is also used
for irrigation.
Ukraine
Moldova
Romania
DID YOU KNOW?
The Dnieper is fed by three
sources: snowmelt (50%),
groundwater (27%) and
rainwater (23%).
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Larger Dnieper Basin
Upper Dnieper Pilot - Belarus
Upper Dnieper Pilot - Ukraine
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Water pollution
is the contamination of surface
waters and groundwater with
harmful substances, causing
a degradation in water quality.
Upper Dnieper River basin –
Water challenges
POLLUTION FROM PARTIALLY TREATED
OR UNTREATED WASTEWATER
What’s causing the problem?
In the Upper Dnieper basin, on the territory of Belarus, there are
163 water users (including industries) that discharge wastewater
into water bodies. Over 90 percent of the wastewater in the basin
is produced by 23 companies. The largest is the Minsk wastewater
treatment plant, which treats wastewater from almost the whole of
Minsk’s population and almost all the city’s enterprises. One of the
biggest problems is inadequate cleaning due to inefficient
facilities or their absence in many areas (mainly towns).
The wastewater treatment plants currently operating on the
territory of Ukraine were constructed 50 to 60 years ago, and the
equipment in use is now out of date. The Bortnichi aeration
station operated by the Kyivvodokanal public corporation has
the biggest capacity and receives wastewater from Kyiv and its
13 satellite cities. So-called secondary water users, including
industrial enterprises, also discharge their wastewater into the
city’s sewerage systems, and this wastewater is not usually
appropriately treated. In addition, coverage by sewage collection
systems is low in small towns and rural areas in the Kyiv and
Chernihiv regions and wastewater is collected in decentralised
sanitation systems such as septic tanks or pit latrines.
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How does it affect water status?
Discharges of untreated wastewater increase the content of
phosphorus, nitrogen and organic compounds in the water body.
This changes the composition and condition of fresh water due to
the explosive growth of algae and plants in a process known as
eutrophication. Oxygen is used up as the dead algae decompose,
reducing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water and altering
the survival, reproductive and competitive capacities of water
organisms. The rapid growth of algae, known as algal bloom, can be
harmful to fish and other aquatic animals, as it creates toxins. Even
non-toxic algal blooms can affect aquatic life by blocking out
sunlight and creating areas with little or no oxygen.
Wastewater treatment
is the removal of contaminants
from wastewater to produce both
a liquid suitable for disposal into
the natural environment, and
sludge. Biological methods may
include aerated lagoons and
sand filters. The simplest
method is to separate solids
from liquids by sedimentation.
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POLLUTION FROM AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES
What’s causing the problem?
In the Upper Dnieper basin, on the territory of Belarus, there are
many forms of agricultural enterprise, including branches of
service industries, private farms, and processing facilities with
different forms of ownership. Minsk region is the largest
agricultural area in Belarus. Agricultural production here includes
dairy cattle breeding, poultry farming, and the growing of grains,
potatoes, flax and beets. Livestock breeding is one of the most
important branches of agriculture in Belarus. Compared with
EU countries such as Denmark and Poland, the livestock intensity
in the Dnieper basin in Belarus is low. However, the relative
inefficiency of sewage treatment plants at livestock farms, the
absence of modern systems and the lack of manure processing
increase the risk of contamination of water bodies.
In Ukraine, agriculture is an important component of the national
economy. However, there is no marked growth in this sphere.
Agricultural production here is characterised by a fundamental
modification of the sector’s structure, with an increase in crop
Manure can be a valuable
resource rather than just a
waste product, but it must be
managed appropriately to
protect surface waters
and groundwater.
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farming compared to a decrease in animal farming. In the Kyiv
region, there is a great contrast between the northern areas,
which were contaminated as a result of the accident at the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and the rest of the territory.
A typical feature of agricultural production in this region are
suburban smallholdings or homesteads that specialise in
vegetable growing and poultry keeping.
How does it affect water status?
Mineral and organic fertilisers and pesticides are washed from fields
and livestock farms into streams and rivers, causing organic and
nutrient pollution. A rise in the level of nutrients (primarily nitrogen and
phosphorus) causes algae to grow faster, creating increased biological
oxygen demand. This has a negative impact on water quality and fish
breeding conditions. Of the total amount of fertilisers applied to the
soil, only 5 to 10 percent are absorbed by plants, while 90 to 95 percent
are washed away by rain or snowmelt and accumulate in rivers, lakes
and groundwater, potentially affecting ecosystems.
Fertilise wisely!
Applying fertilisers in
appropriate quantities, at the
right time of the year and using
the right methods, can reduce
the potential for pollution.
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Hydromorphology
combines the study of the
hydrological regime and
morphological conditions. It
deals with the quantity and
dynamics of water flow, as well
as the shape and boundaries of
a particular water body.
HYDROMORPHOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS
AND WATER ABSTRACTION
What’s causing the problem?
Hydromorphological changes in the Dnieper basin in Belarus are
mainly due to hydropower plants, flood protection engineering,
shipping, urban development and agricultural activities. There are
73 objects that impede river flow, including 17 channel reservoirs;
37 artificial ponds located on rivers; and 19 pumping stations. The
biggest hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Belarus, and in the pilot
basin, is Osipovichskaya HPP, while the greatest hydropower
potential in the Dnieper basin is concentrated in the Mogilev
region, directly on the Dnieper River. During the Soviet era, largescale river melioration work was carried out in the Dnieper basin,
involving the straightening of riverbeds. Hydromorphological
changes were made at 69 sites out of the 104 that were
considered in order to straighten channels.
In Ukraine, one distinctive feature of the Upper Dnieper basin is
the fact that river runoff is strongly regulated via a large number
of channels, agricultural soil reclamation canals, drainage
systems, dams and pumping facilities. Power is generated in the
Kyiv region by the Kyiv HPP and the Kyiv pumped storage power
plant, the first of its type in the former USSR. The pumped storage
power plant accumulates water during night hours in a specially
built reservoir on the high bank. The accumulated water is
released during peak hours in order to generate power.
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How does it affect water status?
Engineering infrastructure disrupts aquatic ecosystems, river flow and
the migration of aquatic organisms. Channel reservoirs may have an
impact both downstream (oscillation in water levels) and upstream
(reduction in water velocity). The straightening of riverbeds leads to
morphological alterations and, consequently, to changes in
ecosystems. In Belarus, 17 channel reservoirs have caused
hydrological changes at 13 river sites. In Ukraine, agricultural soil
reclamation canals have resulted in the disconnection of wetlands
and changes in the hydrological regime; and the Kyiv and Kaniv
reservoirs have raised water levels, leading to permanent flooding in
once dry areas (meadows, forests, farmland and settlements).
The natural migration
routes of fish and their
access to habitats are often
obstructed by the building of
dams. The incorporation of
fish migration aids in crossriver structures helps keep
habitats accessible, protecting
natural reproduction patterns
and lifecycles and ensuring
population sustainability.
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This publication summarises a review of
the pressures and impacts on the water
bodies of the Upper Dnieper River basin,
prepared in the framework of the EPIRB
project. The full pressure-impact analysis
reports are available at http://blackseariverbasins.net/en/pilot-basins/upperdnieper-river-basin
EPIRB Project Regional Office in Kyiv
Kyiv 01601, Ukraine
Velyka Vasylkivska (former Chervonoarmiiska)
Street 13/1, room 502
Tel.: +380 50 330 99 48
EPIRB Project Regional Office in Tbilisi
Tbilisi 0102, Georgia
5 Marjanishvili Street, office 402
Tel.: +995 32 236 8877
Editors: Imola Koszta ● Jovanka Ignjatovic
Contributors: Alexandr Stankevich ●
Nataliia Zakorchevna
Design and layout: Tricia Barna
Copyediting and proofreading: Rachel Hideg
Photographs: EPIRB partners ● iStock ●
Alexandr Stankevich ● Vahagn Tonoyan ●
Nataliia Zakorchevna
Publisher: The Regional Environmental Center
for Central and Eastern Europe
www.blacksea-riverbasins.net
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Legal notice: This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The views expressed in this publication are the sole
responsibility of the Human Dynamics Consortium implementing the project and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.
© 2015 – Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe