Construction of new buildings in Ivano-Frankivsk has been halted, as it caused water pollution in a spring near the city's lake.
The mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ruslan Martsinkiv, told the Western Pole radio station.
According to researchers who took water samples from the city's spring on October 3, the test showed a positive result for E. coli. According to ecologist-geologist Mykhailo Mykytsei, construction work carried out by the private company Vertical disturbed the groundwater feeding the spring near the city lake.
According to the regional environmental department, no environmental impact assessment was conducted for this facility. On October 7, this information was also confirmed by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.
How the authorities and developer are responding to the incident
The city has set up a commission headed by Deputy Mayor Victoria Susanina. According to Martsinkiv, its task is to influence the developer and minimize damage to the spring.
The mayor said that the construction has been stopped, and that they will demand additional fines from the developer, as well as clear conclusions from the Ministry of Economy.
A representative of the Vertical company, who identified himself as Roman, told Suspilne Ivano-Frankivsk journalists that Vertical's management would provide a meaningful response to the incident in late October. He added that the company is conducting its own expert study on water pollution.
"We stopped construction there. We have ordered a number of examinations to fine this developer. We demand that a full environmental impact assessment be carried out and that the Ministry of Ecology come up with clear conclusions on what needs to be done to avoid damaging the water balance in the area," Martsinkiv said.
We remind EcoPolitic readers that in Ivano-Frankivsk, near the city's lake, the walls of a pit at a construction site have begun to collapse, which could lead to the destruction of the shoreline with a strip of centuries-old trees. In particular, there is a possibility of oil products leaking from the pit into the city's drinking water sources.
According to the ecologist, the situation at this site indicates a gross violation of construction and environmental standards. In particular, the hydrogeological features of the area were ignored and basic safety measures were not taken.
