The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine at a meeting on March 4, 2013 decided to close state-run enterprise Solotvyne salt pit in Tiachiv district in Zakarpattia region.

The information and public relations department of the cabinet's secretariat reported last week that the government made the decision to avoid an environmental disaster.

The press service said that an emergency has occurred on the territory of the pit – the pit is being flooded.

"The conclusions of scientists who studied the problem are categorical: the further exploitation of salt pits and the provision of services to patients with allergies are impossible, and it is too dangerous to continue the operation of the enterprise," reads the report.

Some UAH 339 million will be spent on the liquidation and environmental rehabilitation of the pit. It will take seven years to finish the work.

The press service of the cabinet's secretariat said that Solotvyne pit is a unique deposit, which pits were used to treat patients with bronchial asthma. Dozens of thousands of patients were treated in the quarry 300 meters deep. The quarry was considered the best in Europe and treatment there was the most effective.

In 1998-2007, the quarry was in an emergency state, and since 2007 mining works were actually stopped. The inflow of underground water and active development of human-caused karst resulted in the worsening of environment and non-observation of safety at industrial and residential facilities of the settlement of Solotvyne.

As reported, Solotvyne salt pit state-run enterprise was founded in 2006. The enterprise extracts salt and it is engaged in the wholesale of seafood.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010 obliged Mykola Azarov to settle the issue of further activities of state-run Solotvyne salt pit as a manmade disaster could occur.

In late March 2011, the cabinet allocated UAH 150 million to finance the liquidation of aftermath of Solotvyne salt pit's shafts flooding.

In September 2011, the then Emergencies Minister of Ukraine Viktor Baloha said that it is important to ensure there were normal living conditions for residents of Solotvyne and liquidate the consequences of the Solotvyne salt pit's shafts flooding.

On October 31, 2012, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved a feasibility study for a project entitled "The liquidation and environmental rehabilitation of areas affected by mining work performed by Solotvyne salt pit in Tiachiv district in Zakarpattia region" with the total estimated cost of the construction work being UAH 338.889 million.