For about three years, one of the state-owned enterprises in the Kryvyi Rih region discharged highly mineralised water into the Ingulets River in excess of the permitted limits. The damage to the environment exceeded 530 million UAH. By a court decision, this amount will be recovered for the benefit of the city budget.
As clarified by the Office of the Prosecutor General, the decision was made by the Commercial Court of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast following a lawsuit filed by the regional Specialised Environmental Prosecutor's Office. According to information from the local media outlet "Svoi", the enterprise in question may be the state enterprise "Kryvbasshakhtozakryttia".
The enterprise specialises in the extraction of minerals. It had no permit for special water use, yet throughout 2021-2024 it discharged return mine water into the river. During this time, more than 27 million cubic metres of polluted liquid entered the Ingulets.
Source: Office of the Prosecutor General
The prosecutors' claims were satisfied in full. Once the court decision enters into force, the compensation for environmental damage is to be paid to the Kryvyi Rih City Council.
As a reminder, the situation with mine water in the Kryvyi Rih region is on the verge of a man-made disaster. Even before the full-scale war, enterprises delayed submitting documents, which led to unorganised discharges without dilution with fresh water.
However, the problem remains under parliamentary control. It has also been compounded by a financial factor – due to the bankruptcy of a number of mining enterprises, they lack the resources to pay for water discharge.
It was also previously reported that more than 600 million UAH is planned to be spent on clearing 13 km of the Ingulets River in the Kryvyi Rih region. This does not concern mine water – it is the siltation of the river that has been recognised as a man-made emergency.
