Petroleum products as one of the sources of pollution of the Dniester basin

GEF project experts studied the state of the Dniester tributary in Lviv region.

Last week, the meeting was held between representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Borislav City Council (Lviv Region, Ukraine), the Dniester Basin Water Management and the GEF project on the prevention of pollution of the Tysmenitsa River with oil products.

The need to organize an effective industrial waste management system is a historical legacy for the region. For more than 200 years oil has been produced in Borislav and the city itself was planned as a satellite city of the oil and gas industry.

Starting from the end of the 19 th century oil was produced here “manually”, as a result of which almost 20 thousand “kopans” (oil pits) are in the field since that time. Today there are about 300 of such places which are known, and although some of them are brought to a safe state, experts say they need to be completely eliminated.

Also, the participants of the meeting visited places of natural oil escape to the surface of the earth near the Tysmenitsa River. There are lots of such oil manifestations throughout the city, which contributes to the pollution of soils and water bodies.

As a result of the discussions, it was decided to hold a trilateral dialogue – between central and local authorities, the water resources department and business – as part of open meetings of the Dniester Basin Council. Experts are confident that this format will help to attract technical assistance from countries with similar experience.

All developments will be sent to the central authorities and local business to jointly resolve the environmental situation associated with long-term oil production in the city.