Kyiv, 25 September 2024 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine has procured and delivered chemicals and expendable materials for water quality monitoring in Ukraine.

The supplies went to the regional offices of the State Environmental Inspectorate as part of a Sweden-funded environmental damage assessment project. They will be used to monitor water quality in the Seim and Desna rivers, which run through Sumy, Chernihiv and Kyiv oblasts.

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, in mid-August 2024, pollution was detected in the waters of the Seim River near Ukraine’s border with Russia. The polluted water later spread downstream in the Seim and into the Desna River. In the wake of the incident, the State Agency of Ukraine for Water Resources and the State Environmental Inspectorate are conducting intensive crisis monitoring of the rivers’ water quality, and taking water samples daily for research.

Acting Head of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine Ihor Zubovych emphasized the importance of sampling to collect evidence of environmental crimes in Ukraine. “I’m grateful to all of our international partners, and in particular to the Government of Sweden and UNDP, for providing effective support to the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine,” Zubovych said. 

The chemicals and expendable materials for the State Environmental Inspectorate were procured and delivered by the team of the UNDP’s Environmental Damage Assessment project, which is funded by Sweden. 

The overall objective of the project is to support the relevant governmental bodies – the State Environmental Inspectorate and the Ministry of Environmental Protection – in developing the necessary regulatory and institutional infrastructure to be able to collect and document evidence of environmental damage.

Media enquiries

Yuliia Samus, UNDP Ukraine Head of Communications; e-mail: yuliia.samus@undp.org