Threat of Ukraine's territory flooding in Danube delta is linked to works on river bed deepening carried out in Romania, say ecologists
Kyiv, July 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A threat of Ukraine's territory flooding in the Danube delta is linked to hydroengineering work carried out in Romania to deepen and widen the river bed to improve transport communications, according to Ukrainian ecologists.
"The analysis of the situation conducted in 2009-2010 gives grounds to say that Romania's activities on development of own transport infrastructure in the Danube delta has a considerable negative influence on the ecological state of the Danube delta and causes a threat for Ukrainian territories and Ukrainian nation," the head of the Ukrainian Ecological League Tetiana Tymochko said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
She said that the most serious changes in the hydrological regime of the Danube delta are seen due to large-scale hydroengineering work on the Romania's territory.
"We have the situation when Romania has been carried out large-scale hydroengineering work for almost 50 years. The work is linked to the changing, deepening and cut-off of the river bed, development of artificial canals, including on the territory of the Danube biosphere preserve," she said.
She added that the Danube-Black Sea canal's deepening by Ukraine caused serious censure by European structures.
However, work carried out in Romania, is almost not controlled by Ukraine. Romania, in particular, does not observe the requirements on the Espoo Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and does not inform Ukraine on works, which lead to the change of water flow in the Danube. However, Ukraine has not made any official reports on the issue.
"We are to awaken and start protecting Ukrainian national interests. We are to learn to protect Ukraine's interests regardless of desires or unwillingness of other countries," Tymochko said.
She said that the Ukrainian Ecological League sent proposals to the government, Foreign Ministry, Environmental Protection Ministry and the State Committee for Water Economy.