On opening the event, the Committee Chair Anatoliy Semynoha said that attention to this issue on the part of people’s deputies is explained by extremely critical state of water resources of Ukraine.
“Rivers Oril and Tyasmyn reflect the situation with water resources of Ukraine and in terms of these rivers we hope to determine the ways to rectify and improve the situation,” he stressed.
A.Semynoha informed that the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Laws “Provisions (Strategy) of the State Environmental Policy of Ukraine for the Period until 2020” and “On national targeted program for the development of water resources and ecological rehabilitation of the Dnipro River basin for the period until 2021”. The bill to amend the Water Code of Ukraine was submitted to the Parliament for consideration. “Unfortunately, we failed to adopt progressive and effective amendments to the Water Code of Ukraine two years ago. The bill aimed at protecting both bodies of water and water fund lands, and constitutional rights of citizens to use this resource. Though, the bill received positive feedback, it lacked support in the Parliament,” the Committee Chair noted.
It was stressed that the problem of water resources is extremely acute in the world today. At highest international levels water was acknowledged to be the main factor of stable development of society, its safety and existence in general.
It is stipulated that by 2025 the 2/3 of population of the world will suffer from the lack of water or its low quality. 100 million of people do not have sufficient access to qualitative water resources and 3 million of people yearly die of diseases directly connected with water. Ukraine is least of all among the European countries provided with water resources.
It was mentioned that Dniproterovsk region is one of the most technogenically-loaded and environmentally neglected zone in Ukraine.
Absence of proper legislative regulation in the sphere of water resources lease significantly worsens the situation.
By results of discussion, the participants concluded that it is necessary to:
legislatively settle the issue of water resources lease and ensure introduction of sanitary drainage systems;
use financial and organizational opportunities of national targeted program for the development of water resources and ecological rehabilitation of the Dnipro River basin for the period until 2021;
amend the Water Code of Ukraine in order to use water resource funds exclusively for conservation and preservation of water resources, etc.