In Ukraine, for the first time in the years of independence, two employees of the enterprise heating and water supply was informed on suspicion of committing ecocide, namely the destruction of flora and fauna in tributaries of the Sluch River.
They dumped untreated sewage into the river, which contained toxic waste from cardboard and paper production, reports Office of the General Prosecutor.
Currently, the issue of electing the head and foreman of the preventive heat supply shop is being resolved.
The press service explained that in the technological process of the company's production, a significant amount of harmful substances is used, in particular, dispersion for gluing, aluminum hydroxychloride, starch, etc. When such substances enter natural bodies of water, they deteriorate water quality, negatively affect the aquatic ecosystem, and are toxic to aquatic organisms.
"This leads to the mass destruction of flora and fauna, poisoning of water resources and causes an ecological disaster," the report says.
The investigation established that the suspects discharged untreated sewage from October 2017 to January 2021. This caused an excess of the normalized values of pollutants, suspended substances and substances, the discharge of which is not provided for by permits for special water use.
The results of the engineering and environmental examination showed that the river flora and fauna disappeared in the area about 4 km from the point of return water discharge. Its recovery and reproduction are impossible.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that in the Rivne region near the town of Berezne there was a plague of fish in the Sluch River, during which 43,670 fish died.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, the Kobud farm, which is engaged in raising pigs, carried out a voluntary discharge of sewage with signs of urine into the Sluch River.
