The critical depletion of river water levels has causes other than climate change. These include — the disruption of natural ecosystems, which are losing their ability to maintain the water balance. Western Ukraine has faced this problem, where deforestation in the Carpathians, off-road driving and the construction of wind farms in the highlands have indirectly led to a historic drop in water levels.
Oksana Stankevych-Volosyanchuk, an expert on ecology and environmental protection at the NGO ‘Ecosphere’, is convinced of this, reports the media outlet Espreso.
"The complete transformation of high-altitude ecosystems reduces their ability to fulfil their water-regulating role. In particular, the Runa mountain pasture — is now a fully urbanised ecosystem. It no longer meets the criteria that define a natural ecosystem. And this only exacerbates the effects of climate change", — explains the ecologist.
"Bald" mountains do not retain water
Most rivers in the Zakarpattia Oblast have already set a negative record — water levels in their riverbeds have fallen to their lowest point since records began in 1945. These alarming figures were reported by the Tisa River Basin Authority.
"Even occasional rainfall is currently failing to bring about a significant recovery in river water levels. Experts cite climate change, a lack of rainfall, a redistribution of runoff and water flowing too quickly—so that it does not have time to accumulate in the aquifers—as the main reasons," — reported the Tisa Basin Water Management Authority.
Water runoff traditionally originates in the mountains, whose ecosystems gradually release the water accumulated during rainfall into water bodies. However, mountain pastures that have been turned into building sites and deforested mountains have lost their ability to retain water.
From deforestation in the mountains to the drying up of the Uzh River
In nature, everything is interconnected. Due to man-made destruction of the water retention system, the inhabitants of the lowlands are feeling the consequences. Indeed, the Turitsa River has its source in the desecrated Runa mountain pasture. It subsequently flows into the Turya, and — into the Uzh, which — in turn flows into the Tisa. Water levels in all these rivers are critically low – so much so that the State Water Agency has restricted water abstraction for Uzhhorod’s water supply system.
This trend also poses a threat to Transcarpathia’s well-known tourist attractions: the cascade of waterfalls on the Turica and the waterfall at Shipot. The latter is fed not only by streams from the Runa, but also from the southern slopes of Mount Gostra. However, there are also plans to destroy it to make way for the construction of a wind farm.
"We are already disrupting the functioning of this system at the catchment stage. As a result, less runoff is generated and less water reaches the rivers. Further downstream, we are also draining the floodplains, allowing water to flow through during periods of rainfall. If the floodplain were functioning properly, it would be able to store water when there is plenty of it and gradually release it into the river," — noted Oksana Stankevych-Volosyanchuk.
The integrity of ecosystems as the basis for balance
Preserving natural ecosystems in their natural state could help to build resilience to climate change. This applies not only to forests and high-altitude meadows, but also to the main water ‘regulators’ — marshes and peatlands.
In Ukraine, however, these areas are being rapidly converted for commercial use. The environmentalist cites the examples of Uzhhorod and Lviv, where floodplains and marshes are being intensively drained to make way for urban development. Economically, this is linked to sky-high property prices, yet developers pay no heed to the environmental impact.
"Floodplains in Uzhhorod, which until recently were teeming with life, are now being built on. During floods, they used to be inundated and then slowly drain away the water. Now they are being filled with concrete. Nobody is thinking about the consequences; nobody is thinking a few steps ahead," — said the expert.
She emphasises that outdated notions about water resource management are often to blame. It used to be thought that water should be ‘channelled’ on as quickly as possible. Consequently, land was drained and sluices were built on water bodies. Perhaps this made sense in the past — due to consistent and abundant rainfall, but the climate has now changed.
"We must not let the water run off, but rather store it using natural ecosystems. And it is precisely the mountain pastures, mountain forests, floodplains and peat bogs — these are the ecosystems that store water and gradually release it into the river. If we do not take such measures in good time, we will face extremely serious problems — a shortage of fresh water", — the expert concluded.
EcoPolitic previously reported that the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre had declared the highest, ‘brown’, danger level due to falling water levels in rivers in western Ukraine. In some places, historic lows have already been recorded.
As a result, the State Agency for Water Resources has restricted water abstraction for 300 water users until 15 September. These include — municipal water supply companies in a number of towns, including Uzhhorod, Chernivtsi, Kalush and Svalyava.
According to environmental experts, over the past 30 years, 30 per cent of rivers in Ukraine — around 20,000 — have disappeared or been significantly fragmented.
