Press releases

BREST, 23 July (BelTA) – A project to monitor small rivers on the border between Belarus and Ukraine has been launched in Pinsk District as part of the Eastern Partnership Territorial Cooperation Program Belarus Ukraine, BelTA learned from the Interakcia Foundation.

The project “Cross-border water inspectors” will involve 200 schoolchildren and a group of educators from Pinsk District of Belarus and Lubeshiv District of Ukraine. They will monitor the condition of rivers, lakes and wells in these districts, look for waste buildups on the rivers and analyze the chemical composition of water using compact chemical laboratories. The data will be uploaded on a special website and forwarded to local environmental authorities.

“We want to draw the attention of local residents to the problems of small rivers. The condition of small rivers determines the quality of drinking water. These rivers and their basins are also home to many birds, plants and other living beings,” Sviatlana Paddubnaya, Project Manager of “Cross-border water Inspectors”, said.

A cross-border summer camp will take place in Pinsk District on 16-22 August to bring together schoolchildren from Belarus and Ukraine. The children will be taught to conduct monitoring campaigns; they will also study flora and fauna of the rivers. The rally will conclude with a water festival.

In line with the project, a water pipe will be laid in the agro-town of Osnezhitsy, Pinsk District. A recreation zone will be arranged near the Korostenka River in Lubeshiv District of Ukraine. Experts will draft a cross-border plan to manage the small rivers and water resources of the Pripyat River basin.

The project “Cross-border water inspectors” is co-funded by the European Union within the framework of the Eastern Partnership Territorial Cooperation Program Belarus Ukraine. The budget of the initiative is estimated at €278,000; 90% of the amount is the EU’s contribution. The project is implemented by the Pinsk District Executive Committee and Interakcia Foundation from Belarus and the Department of Education, Youth and Sport of Lubeshiv District State Administration and the Lubeshiv Environmental Organization World Around Us from Ukraine.