In Zhytomyr region, a company owned by a former regional deputy is pumping water out of the Negrebivsky quarry to start dolomite mining. However, there is a catch: the drainage will leave locals without drinking water, and the work already violates environmental standards and has led to the flooding of fields and roads.
According to the public organization Golka, the Ministry of Environmental Protection was aware of the community's future water problems but still granted permission for the work.
"Green light" from the Ministry of Environment
The Dolomite company has been trying to start mining for several years, despite local residents' angry protests against the mining activities.
The company knew that draining the quarry would lead to the loss of drinking water sources in the communities adjacent to the quarry. The Ministry of Environment, which received a package of documents from Dolomite, was also aware of this.
Water supply project for populated areas. Source: holka.org.ua
At the beginning of the year, this was sufficient grounds for refusing to issue an environmental permit, but in the summer, when the company made a second attempt, the ministry decided to turn a blind eye to potential problems.
The minutes of the technical meeting in 2014 already contained "warnings" about future problems for local residents. It was already mentioned that settlements within the depression funnel would be left without water and it would have to be delivered.
Excerpt from the minutes of the technical meeting on the review of the working project for the development of the Negrebivske dolomite deposit, 2014. Source: holka.org.ua
Unfulfilled Commitments
When equipment entered the quarry in November and workers began dismantling the dam, the local community contacted the police and then the Zhytomyr Regional Environmental Inspectorate.
"Representatives of this institution were here before everything was dug up, they saw that the company had already arrived, witnessed their equipment and the established boundaries. The court must suspend all activities at the quarry. The monitoring plan already exists, initially noise and dust barriers must be installed," said activist Nataliia Opimakh.
However, the company did not install any barriers, thereby violating the terms of the environmental permit. Environmentalists insist that this is a violation and grounds for appealing to the prosecutor's office.
Petro Testov, head of the analytical department of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNCG), adds satellite images that show a catastrophic drop in the water level in the quarry. The photos also prove something else: water is being pumped out beyond the boundaries of the areas where the company has the right to operate.
Source: holka.org.ua
Controversial owners of the company
Until 2023, Victoria Vasylivna Sharova, the namesake of Igor Sharov's wife, was listed as a participant in Dolomite. Her husband was a deputy from the Party of Regions, voted for dictatorial laws, and managed the campaign headquarters in Kirovohrad Oblast and the presidential elections.
However, a month before the start of water pumping, a new owner appeared at the enterprise, which also looks suspicious.
Meager benefits versus enormous damage
In theory, the feasibility of mining could be justified by revenues to local communities' budgets. However, environmentalists do not know how much these revenues will be or whether they will be generated at all. Moreover, environmentalist Olga Ivanchenko said that the Dolomite company is unprofitable. According to Opendatabot, in 2024 it will be in the red by 124,000 hryvnia, and in 2023 by more than 5 million hryvnia.
Job creation is also in question. Currently, only one employee is officially registered with the company. Activists report that the business has announced its intention to increase its staff to 25 people, which is also not enough to qualify as a "city-forming enterprise."
Consequences – actual and predicted
Now the Negrebivsky quarry, which was a favorite recreation area for locals and even residents of the Kyiv region, has turned into an industrial site. Heavy equipment is working here, pumps are humming. The water level in the quarry is getting lower and lower. However, due to the springs that feed the lake, the work is not progressing as quickly as the company would like.
As a result, water is getting everywhere except the artificial lake. The community's land is already partially flooded. Locals are sounding the alarm – at this rate, the road and the land plots of Negrebivka residents will soon be washed away.
Source: holka.org.ua
Environmentalist Olga Ivanchenko says that further work will lead to a critical drop in groundwater levels. Local residents will feel this first and foremost through the drying up of wells and forests and a lack of water for irrigating gardens and vegetable plots. The bridge on the only road connecting the villages to the district center will also be affected.
Attempts at legal action
The residents of Negrebivka are trying to get the court to invalidate the EIA and hold the Ministry of Environment (after its liquidation, part of the Ministry of Economy) accountable. The community has already filed two lawsuits.
Locals are also hoping for a response from the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office. It has already instructed the Zhytomyr Regional Prosecutor's Office to investigate the legality of the EIA and the implementation of environmental protection measures. "Golka" quotes the agency as saying:
“If violations of the law or harm to the interests of the state or territorial community are identified, prosecutorial response measures will be taken.”
The residents are also awaiting responses from the national police and the Radomyshl council.
EcoPolitic previously reported that in Kharkiv region, to extract sand, a company is attempting to seize a lake and clear a forest.
In Lviv region, the community of Velyki Mosty decided to sell for agricultural use over 200 ha of wildland. They aimed to do this before the “Kavy” nature reserve is established there.
