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Czech-Ukrainian Project: Identification and Prioritization of Environmental Burdens in the Dnipropetrovsk Region

26. 12. 2024,

In September 2024, the Czech NGO Arnika, with the support of the Czech Development Agency, launched a large-scale project to improve the environmental conditions in the Dnipropetrovsk region titled «Identification and Prioritization of Environmental Burdens in the Dnipropetrovsk Region».

This project is part of the international program «Clean Air for Ukraine». As part of this initiative, over the course of three months, Ukrainian and Czech experts identified the most polluted areas of the region and conducted studies, including soil and water sampling. Based on the research results, a plan will be developed to clean up the areas with the most critical environmental conditions. This will enable the identification of risks to the environment and human health in the Dnipropetrovsk region and parts of Zaporizhzhia.

Фото Majda Slamova

Collaboration Between Ukrainian and Czech Experts

At the start of the project in Dnipro, a meeting took place involving the Deputy Head of the Czech Development Agency Zbyněk Vojkovský, project manager for Ukraine Jan Pejřil, and Ukrainian partners: Deputy Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Ihor Kashyrin and the leader of the NGO “Green World – Friends of the Earth” Oleksii Anhurets. The Regional Council served as a key partner of the project. Ihor Kashyrin emphasized the importance of such cooperation and expressed gratitude to the Czech government for its support.

 

Another important partner in the implementation of the project was the State Environmental Inspectorate of the Prydniprovskyi District, which assisted in identifying sites for the research. The collaboration was made possible thanks to the NGO “Green World – Friends of the Earth,” which had been preparing the groundwork for this project for nearly a year.

Key Stages of the Project

The project started in September 2024 and lasted three months in Ukraine, carried out in three stages. Currently, it is in its third phase of implementation.

Research of polluted areas, including creating a baseline list and selecting 10 key sites, was conducted primarily in the Dnipropetrovsk region and partially in Zaporizhzhia. Local specialists were engaged at every stage of the project, ensuring a deeper understanding of regional environmental challenges. At the same time, sampling was carried out, in particular, by experts from the Czech company Dekonta. Other activities, such as analysis, report preparation, and the development of decontamination proposals, will be carried out by Czech experts. This approach ensures the integration of best international practices in environmental restoration.

Main Phases of the Environmental Burden Identification Project

  1. Creating a list of potentially hazardous sites
    At the initial stage, a list of 62 objects requiring baseline analysis and monitoring was compiled. These sites represent potential “hot spots” of environmental burden.
  2. Selecting the 10 most hazardous sites (polluted areas)
    From the main list, 10 sites with the highest environmental risk were selected for further study. Detailed analyses were conducted for these sites, including sampling and pollution assessment. Experts managed to visit 21 sites with polluted areas, and in 14 of them, soil and surface water samples were collected at specific points.
  3. Developing cleanup plans
    From the 10 selected sites, two will be chosen for which technical documentation for a detailed preliminary reclamation task and research methodology will be developed. Subsequently, a specific plan for restoring and decontaminating these areas will be created.

Expected Outcomes

The project “Identification and Prioritization of Environmental Burdens in the Dnipropetrovsk Region” will contribute to:

    • Identifying the most critical environmental problems in the Dnipropetrovsk region that specialized departments and institutions can address in the future.
    • Preparing for practical measures to restore polluted areas.
    • Enhancing collaboration between Ukrainian and international environmental organizations.

This is the second environmental project implemented in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Earlier in 2024, the Czech Development Agency assisted the Center for Environmental Monitoring. Thanks to this partnership, equipment maintenance and calibration of a stationary air monitoring station were resumed, and air and water monitoring was conducted in several communities of the region.

 

The implementation of the project «Identification and Prioritization of Environmental Burdens in the Dnipropetrovsk Region» with the support of the Czech side is significant for improving the environmental situation in the region and may serve as an example of effective international partnership in the field of environmental protection.

 

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The project «Identification and Prioritization of Environmental Burdens in the Dnipropetrovsk Region» is facilitated by the Czech side and supported by the Czech Development Agency.

About us

The "Clean Air for Ukraine" program has been implemented since 2017 by the non-governmental organization Arnika (Czech Republic) in cooperation with local public initiatives from various regions of Ukraine with the financial support of the Transition Promotion Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

You can find more information about our activities and participation opportunities or share your thoughts with us by sending a message to info@cleanair.org.ua

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