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Dear
Friends!
In
this issue, we draw your attention to the impact
of the war on water – rivers, seas, lakes, small
and large reservoirs and streams. Unlike soil,
forest, or steppe, water knows no boundaries. It
is always mobile, and therefore water pollution
caused by the military invasion of Ukraine spreads
throughout the region. We have repeatedly noted
that the war’s direct environmental consequences
relate to water bodies and not only in Ukraine.
Pollution is documented to be occurring in the
Black Sea, while research has yet to be carried
out in, say, the Danube River delta. Mediated
(indirect) consequences are noted all over the
world, even countries as far away from the
conflict zone as Mongolia, about which you can
learn more on our website.
War
transforms landscapes. This is well-established,
and UWEC Work Group has previously examined the
consequences of the draining
of the Oskll reservoir. In this issue, UWEC’s
editorial team has collected a variety of opinions
on possible solutions for Irpin River management.
Readers will recall that at the beginning of the
invasion a dam was blown up in Kyiv suburbs,
resulting in flooding of the river and nearby
villages. The dam was destroyed in order to stop
the advance of enemy troops. Today’s active
disputes about the flooded Irpin River will
contribute to tomorrow’s development of balanced
decisions about the area’s future.
The
war’s impacts on rivers are difficult to capture
and analyze until the conflict has ended. That
said, we can draw some preliminary conclusions
today. We spoke with UWEC Work Group’s experts
coordinator, co-founder of the Green Silk Road
Network, and rivers expert Eugene Simonov about
the direct and indirect consequences of the war
for rivers. We discuss how it affects water
bodies, how we can collect data today, and what
indirect effects are being recorded that are
infrequently discussed.
Indirect
consequences, some of which we have already
examined more than once, include the weakening of
environmental practices in the most vulnerable
areas, at points of "environmental stress." Under
the pretext of war, a predatory and consumerist
attitude towards those natural areas environmental
activists wish to protect is again developing.
Read our article about the problems facing Lake
Baikal, protection of which is now complicated due
to the war unleashed by Russia.
All
rivers flow into the seas. This means that all
toxic and harmful substances sooner or later end
up in the sea. In a war in Ukraine, all waters
flow to the Black Sea. Today, that sea suffers
both from hostilities taking place directly on its
territory and from industrial pollution. Read
Ukrainian expert Sofia Sadogurska’s analysis of
the war’s effects on the Black and Azov
Seas.
Since
the beginning of the war, the world has been
shocked by the news of thousands of dolphins that
are washed ashore and die in the Black Sea
coastline. Experts understandably point to
chemical and acoustic pollution as the war’s main
impacts. Ukrainian experts share essential
information about cetacean mortality in the Black
Sea. It is not accurate to talk about the death of
“thousands of animals,” but it is obvious that
many factors caused by military operations can
lead to catastrophic consequences for fauna in the
Black Sea.
Last
but not least, we started a collaboration with the
Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS). Special for UWEC Work
Group, leader of our expert department Oleksij
Vasyliuk, together with CEOBS expert Eoghan
Darbyshire, prepared an article exploring
pollution of the Bug estuary as a result of damage
to primary water treatment facilities in the city
of Mykolaiv.
We
welcome information sharing about the war’s
environmental consequences. Only reliable analyses
can empower us to find and develop solutions to
overcome this crisis.
Join
us on our website, Twitter, and Facebook.
Peace
and strength to you,
Aleksei
Ovchinnikov
Editor in Chief
UWEC Work
Group | 
