The international highway between Ternopil and Chortkiv near the village of Kobylovoloky turned into a stream of dirty water with a very specific smell. As it turned out, the technical fluid "burst" through a breach in the sedimentation tank of a local alcohol factory.
The Ternopil National Police launched an investigation into the causes of the emergency.
According to ZAHID.NET, a video showing the slurry flooding the road appeared on a local Telegram channel on 19 January. On the same day, representatives of the State Environmental Inspection in the Ternopil region reported the situation to law enforcement agencies.
The accident was not noticed immediately
The leak may have occurred on a weekend, which prevented the plant's employees from detecting the damage in time. As a result, the technical waste flowed unhindered for hours into the surrounding area. Within the boundaries of the Terebovlia City Council, it flooded fields and dirt roads until it reached the M-19 highway.
Джерело: tp.npu.gov.ua.
Elimination of the leak
Specialised services, together with law enforcement officers, arrived at the scene.
There was a risk of ice forming on the road. Therefore, local road services and farmers quickly helped to avoid a dangerous situation by covering the area flooded with alcohol waste.
Scale of the incident and responsibility
Preliminary estimates indicate that 4,000 m2 of land has been contaminated by alcohol production waste. To assess the area flooded by technical water, the police enlisted the help of employees of the State Geocadastre and the Strategic Investigations Department. They used drones to take aerial photographs of the area.
Environmentalists are currently calculating the damage caused to the environment, and law enforcement agencies are investigating all the circumstances. The case has been opened under Article 239 of the Criminal Code, "Pollution or damage to land."
EcoPolitic reported that technical problems also caused fuel oil to contaminate the Ladyzhyn Reservoir in Vinnytsia Oblast. The source of the leak was the Ladyzhyn Thermal Power Plant.
