In Kharkiv, in the KhTZ area, activists of the "New Kharkiv" movement began to clear the Mokry Zhikhor ravine of garbage that had been accumulating there for decades.
People want to turn the abandoned river and its slopes into a corner of paradise and have already collected about 200 bags of various waste, reports Objective.
Activists said that they want to turn Mokry Zhikhor into an analogue of Sarzhany Yar. They are convinced that even with their own efforts, that is, the efforts of 8 local residents, they will be able to clear the territory in 2-3 years. After all, so far they have not received significant support from local authorities and utility companies.
It is noted that the ravine began to turn into a landfill even before the slopes were built.
"At the beginning of the war, when there was no water at all, we went to the springs. Zhihorets simply saved us in the first month. And now it's our turn to save Zhihorets," said activist Halyna Krasnobryzha.
The material said that the small river Zhikhorets originates from the metro station "Imeni O.S. Maselskyi" and flows into the Udy in the village of Zhikhor. According to old residents, children and young people used to swim in it 30-40 years ago. With the development of the area, the river was partially covered with earth and turned into a rain collector. However, even now there are fish in the river.
"The goal is for our people to change their attitude towards rivers, considering that Kharkiv region is generally a low-water region. Udy, Siverskyi Donets, Zhihorets, Studenok, Rudka, on Saltivka there is also Manzhosiv Yar. They should be appreciated," said the founder of the movement, Ruslan Aksyonov. who first undertook to clear Zhihorets.
He said that during May-August 2023, activists held 23 toloks, which were joined by 4-10 activists. Previously, they tried to clean the river itself, but now they focus on cleaning the slopes so that new debris does not enter the river during rains.
Aksyonov added that activists are sorting the collected household waste, but they do not yet understand how to deal with construction waste.
It is noted that even during the next toloka, activists saw how locals threw garbage from a wheelbarrow into the ravine. In their opinion, if the area was clean and orderly, people would not dare to throw garbage here.
In addition, a drainage pipe was discovered on the slope next to the private sector. It spread, and sewage flowed from the hole into the river in May. After complaints from activists, the flow from the pipe stopped, but the characteristic smell is still felt, and the area itself is damp. Soil and water pollution was also confirmed by the State Environmental Inspection. The department appealed to the city council and law enforcement agencies to identify those involved in its appearance and use.
The material said that the city council promises to help with cleaning.
As reported by EcoPolitics earlier, in Kharkiv Oblast, on the banks of the Uda River, eco-activists discovered a new spontaneous landfill of plastic bottles, beverage cans and other garbage. Eco-activists have repeatedly held the "Clean Udy" campaign, but the residents of the village of Babai continue to throw garbage near the river. Also in 2021, a Trash Killer garbage collector was installed on the Udy River.
