Abstract
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by russian troops has caused massive population displacement. The International Organization for Migration noted that the number of officially registered internally displaced persons is 38% of the total number of refugees. The abrupt migration of population to the western regions of Ukraine has created an additional burden within the river basins. The priority migration destination was cities, while others dispersed to rural areas. In the first case, population growth led to an additional load on the municipal infrastructure and increased the impact of point sources on river ecosystems. In the second case, it has created conditions for an increasing of diffuse pollution. The results of water utilities reporting in the western regions of Ukraine (by the 2TP-Vodhosp form) indicate the rising in 2022of wastewater discharge compared to the volume in 2021. Based on the analysis of organic substances (BOD5 and COD) and nutrients (ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus), a significant increase in their content was revealed for rivers in the Vistula basin, the upper and middle parts of the Dniester basin, sub-basins of the Danube (Tisza, Prut, and Siret rivers). These substances are formed as a result of the vital activity of living organisms and are protein in nature, which makes them characteristic indicators of municipal wastewater. By calculating the mass balance, it was shown that in Lviv, the load of ammonium nitrogen increased to about 67 tons per year, and phosphorus - 31 tons per year. The relative share of the load from point sources reached 37% and 87%, respectively. The average impact of point sources due to military actions was 8.3% for nitrogen compounds and 7.5% for phosphorus compounds. Against this background, the content of nitrate nitrogen compounds, which are formed mainly by diffuse sources, decreased. Most of the small rivers in the western region of Ukraine had deviations from the 'good' ecological status. The reason for this was a small natural flow, which does not allow for effective dilution of insufficiently treated wastewater from municipal wastewater treatment plants. Among them, the Poltva River was the most polluted water body in Ukraine.
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Co. LTD Ukrinformnauka) (Publications)
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