The small village of Ivaniv in the Volodymyr district has turned into a dumping ground for mining waste. The Buzhanska mine discharges slurry through a network of drainage channels, which flows directly into the village. People are complaining, but the police and environmental inspectors have decided to turn a blind eye to the violations.
This was reported by journalists from the Avers TV channel.
Instead of two pastures, the community now has a real swamp, so local residents have nowhere to graze their livestock.
Vegetable gardens and wells are also flooded with toxic industrial waste. The latter is causing a water crisis in the community, as households do not have a centralized water supply. Out of desperation, people are forced to use contaminated water.
“We contacted the mine management and the mine director. We informed him of the situation. He said that a company arrived at the territory of the “Buzhanska” mine, which specializes in washing coal from waste rock. All the waste, this slurry-everything they wash out-is dumped into the settlement through reclamation channels,” said local resident and serviceman Dmytro Kyrychuk.
Residents of Ivaniv have previously suffered from pollution-the company would discharge technical water and sewage from the bath complex right behind household gardens. Now, since the arrival of the visiting company, they have to deal with slurry as well.
Locals are convinced that all toxic substances and heavy metals accumulate at the lowest point of the community-right in the village. They have contacted the competent authorities, but no violations were found. In particular, the police and the State Environmental Inspection ignored the residents' concerns, even though their employees collected soil samples.
“The village is dying, on the verge of extinction. Only a few houses are still inhabited. Mortality is very high. There is nothing left. All the trees have fallen. Everything has turned into mud. It is impossible to stand there, and there is nothing to breathe. Yet, according to them, it meets every standard,” said Dmytro Kyrychuk.
Journalists at the TV channel report that the company was supposed to discharge only pre-settled mine water. However, they decided to save money; and to avoid attracting too much attention, the sluice gates were most often opened at night.
Now, locals hope that a meeting between the head of the community and representatives of the mine and the company currently working at the site will help resolve the situation in some way.
“Earlier, together with community activists, we asked them to provide at least their equipment. We, from our side, from the community, are partly ready to cover the cost of carrying out reclamation works. But the fact that they continue polluting requires action. Because for local residents, this is a matter of life and health,” emphasized Oleh Savchuk, head of the Poromiv Territorial Community.
People simply do not know where else to turn for help, since the controlling authorities have exerted no influence on the situation. Now, they are asking to bring public attention to this case of industrial pollution. Previously, in its digest of environmental crimes, EcoPolitic reported that in Zaporizhzhia region, a local entrepreneurial couple caused environmental damage amounting to over 10 million UAH. They stored containers with agrochemicals in an open area, then shredded them into plastic granules for sale. Due to neglecting regulations, the territory became contaminated with toxic chemicals.
