New challenges regarding the environmental and sanitary condition of Ukrainian water bodies

Abstract

Today Ukraine is faced with new challenges that have a significant impact on natural water bodies and aquaculture. As a result of hostilities, there is an additional pressure on aquatic ecosystems. Unfortunately, large territories with important fishery complexes of Ukraine are either occupied, located in the war zone, or mined. Currently it is impossible to carry out comprehensive monitoring investigations into the actual environmental condition of inland water bodies of Ukraine. Therefore, in order to establish a true picture of the state of the water fund of Ukraine, an analytical review of publications was performed. Unfortunately, after the large-scale hostilities on the territory of Ukraine, a significant number of water bodies changed their status according to saprobic indicators. The situation is difficult with the reservoirs of the Dnipro River Cascade, which accumulate all pollutants released into the water from the catchment area. The destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station led to a massive killing of all biota, including fish. The reservoirs are mostly polluted by biogenic, organic and surface-active substances, oil products, phenols, pesticides, and heavy metals. Even in the pre-war period, the problem of water pollution required immediate decisions, and with the beginning of the full-scale war, it became one of the most urgent tasks for Ukraine. Today, Ukraine’s water bodies suffer from pollution by pyrogens, fuel, and lubricants after rocket attacks and even from the total destruction of fish farms, water reservoirs, i.e., the Kakhovka Reservoir. Therefore, monitoring of the environmental condition of inland water bodies of Ukraine will provide an opportunity to assess their real condition and, in the future, to select the complex of methods aimed for their restoration.