THE ARTERY OF EASTERN UKRAINE
SURFACE WATER POLLUTION
Surface water is the main source of water (90%) in the Kharkiv and the Donetsk regions, where only 10% of water abstraction is groundwater. In the Luhansk region, the ratio of surface water to groundwater abstraction is 45% and 55%, respectively. The leader in water abstraction is the Donetsk region – 73%, followed by the Kharkiv region – 20%, with the Luhansk region accounting for the lowest percentage – 7%. The main source of water resources is the Siverskyi Donets river, from which 1122.6 mln m3 were abstracted in 2020 (80% of the total basin abstraction). The main water users in the Don river basin are the industry, housing and utilities, agriculture, and transport. According to the available statistical reports, excluding the enterprises in non-government-controlled areas and with the exception of four “Voda Donbasu” enterprises, the highest percentage of return (waste) water discharges was recorded in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. The Luhansk region accounts for only 4%. The largest percentage of polluted (untreated and insufficiently treated) wastewater in 2020 was discharged by economic entities of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
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