Greatest environmental damage caused to land resources in the first half of 2021

The State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine have recorded Hr 196.6 million in losses for violations in the field of land protection during the first six months of this year – this is the largest amount among other areas in which the State Environmental Inspectorate carries out environmental monitoring, Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate Andriy Maliovany has said.

As reported on the inspectorate’s website on July 22, it also recorded the contamination of land with toxic substances, the plowing of coastal protective strips, as well as the pollution of territories with waste.

“We often find out that territorial communities have not developed schemes for the sanitary cleaning of settlements. The absence of this document leads to unregulated waste management, land pollution and its contamination with hazardous substances. As a result, the State Environmental Inspectorate deducts losses from local authorities, which must compensate them at the expense of local budgets,” the press service said, citing Maliovany.

According to him, now, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, about 6.5 million hectares of soil in Ukraine are degraded and unsuitable for agriculture. One of the reasons is precisely massive environmental violations.

“Prevention of the pollution and contamination of land at the local level is a key component of effective protection of fertile territories,” Maliovany said.