On October 29, the Sokal City Council held a communication event with representatives of three territorial communities from the Krasnosilka River basin, during which the results of the project “Restoration of the ecosystem of the small river – the way to the future development of the community and the well-being of the local population” were presented.
As part of the mentioned project, hydrological studies were carried out in the basin of the Krasnosilka River.
Usually, for such small water bodies in terms of length and catchment area, data from similar water bodies were used for planning environmental protection measures. But thanks to the financial support of the Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine within the framework of the Small Grants Program of the Project “INSURE*” from the GS “WWF-Ukraine”, relevant specialists conducted research specifically on the Krasnosilka River, which makes it possible to develop proposals for measures to restore the river’s ecosystem on a more precise planning levels.
Also, as part of the mentioned project, a survey was conducted among the local population in order to find out information about the state of the river in the past years, before its regulation by reclamation systems.
Along with this, the availability of strategies for the development of local communities and the availability of nature-oriented solutions and measures for the restoration of the ecosystem of the Krasnosilka River were analyzed.
During a working meeting in the Sokal City Council, project experts presented to the representatives of the Belz, Sokal and Chervonohrad communities:
– General characteristics of territories in the Krasnosilka river basin
– Analysis of a questionnaire conducted with local residents to find out the state of the river and its role in the lives of local residents
– Analysis of strategic documents of communities in the Krasnosilka river basin regarding the presence of ecosystem approaches and nature-oriented solutions for adaptation to climate change in the Krasnosilka river basin and increasing the recreational attractiveness of this area
– Proposals regarding nature-oriented solutions, which should be included in strategic documents of communities.
The Krasnosilka River has “standard” problems for small rivers, in particular:
– lack of water protection zones and coastal protective strips;
– excessive regulation of the river by artificial obstacles and canalization of the channel;
– the need to dismantle all hydrotechnical structures that are not in use;
– siltation of the river bed and, as a result, slowing down of its flow;
– unsatisfactory state of hydraulic structures (bridges and crossings) that require major and current repairs;
– clogging of the river with household garbage and other waste;
– cluttering of the banks and riverbed with shrubs and grass vegetation.
According to the survey data and the conducted inventory, there are 24 artificial obstacles along the main channel and tributaries of the Krasnosilka River (tubular crossing, regulator lock, reinforced concrete bridge, masonry crossing, etc.), of which:
✓ 7 pcs. need liquidation
✓ 17 pcs. in need of reconstruction and arrangement.
At the same time, some sections of the Krasnosilka River are canals of reclamation systems with remnants of non-working regulatory structures.
The question of restoring the ecosystem of the Krasnosilka River with the possibility of improving the living conditions of the local population, as well as the question of improving the prospects for the development of communities, taking into account the consequences of the war and adaptation to climate change, were actively discussed by the heads of settlements located in the river basin.
Taking into account the critical ecological state of the river, as well as the prospects for the development of the tourism potential of the region in the Krasnosilka river basin in the event of the restoration of the ecosystem of this river, all the participants of the event communicated with experts and representatives of the Basin Management of Water Resources of the Western Bug River with great interest.
After the working meeting, the event participants took part in the symbolic “Tree of Victory” event on the banks of the Krasnosilka River.
The elders of the villages, together with local activists, planted a viburnum – as a symbol of Ukraine, a symbol of the indomitability and courage of the Ukrainian people. A symbol of defenders who gave their lives for our independence and for Ukraine! At the same time, viburnum is a symbol of life! Therefore, a viburnum was planted on the river bank, which symbolizes the indomitability of Ukraine