The risk of harmful substances entering Kyiv's Desnianskyi water intake due to the pollution of the Desna River is minimal. This was reported to UNN by Oleh Ruban, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in Kyiv.
When asked whether water pollution in the Desna River could cause contaminated water to enter the Desna water intake, Ruban replied: "As for the Desna water intake, the risk of harmful substances entering the water is minimal today due to high oxidation and high dilution with water. Every day, Kyivvodokanal, the services of the Kyiv City State Administration, the Ministry of Health and the Environmental Service monitor the situation in Kyiv region to prevent the ingress of these substances.
Ruban said that Kyivvodokanal monitors the situation twice a day in Desna and every hour at the water intake.
"Today the situation is predictably good, but the stain that was registered in the Sejm and the registration of the fish kill are really alarming, so the situation is under control. A commission on technogenic and environmental safety and emergencies was held in Kyiv, and additional reagents were allocated to Kyivvodokanal. Today the situation is under control, it is safe to drink water from the taps of the water utility," Ruban said.
However, he noted that there is a minimal risk because the stain goes along the Desna River.
"It is being monitored. The high oxidation of the water in the Desna and its high dilution will allow us to minimize and naturally purify this water. As for the fakes about wells being contaminated, this is impossible today," Ruban said.
Addendum
On September 10, the Ministry of Environment reportedthat the situation with the movement of pollution from the Desna River towards Kyiv region is under control, the contaminated water is expected to reach Kyiv region on September 14-16, and no exceedances of sanitary, chemical and bacteriological indicators have been detected in drinking water samples in the Kyiv water supply system.
It has also been reported that water pollution has spread 191 km from the confluence of the Seim into the Desna. In the Chernihiv area, the situation has improved, but the content of oxygen and some metals in the water still does not reach the norm.
Prime Minister Denis Shmygal reportedthat the discharge of sewage from a sugar factory in the city of Tiotkino, Russia, caused the pollution of the Seim River with organic matter, leading to massive fish kills.