No inconvenience to people: deputies and environmentalists made sure that the process water storage tank in Vinnytsia region will be built according to international standards

No inconvenience to people: deputies and environmentalists made sure that the process water storage tank in Vinnytsia region will be built according to international standards

Kyiv  •  UNN

December 18 2023, 07:53 AM • 108238 views

A new process water reservoir in Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine, will meet international standards and will not harm local residents or the environment, officials and environmentalists say.

The process water reservoir to be built in the village of Trostianchyk, Vinnytsia Oblast, will meet all international standards and will not cause any harm to people or the environment.

Members of the Vinnytsia Regional Council and representatives of the Union of Ecologists of Ukraine, who visited a similar facility of the Vinnytsia Poultry Farm in Ladyzhyn, were able to see this. This was reported by Vinnytsia Regional Council deputy Yevhen Shapovalov on his social media page . The details of the trip were shared by its participants in exclusive comments to UNN.

Details

In his post, Yevhen Shapovalov noted that the facility is designed for seasonal storage of process water, which will be used as a liquid organic fertilizer for irrigation and increasing field yields. The water undergoes biogas treatment before entering the tank, and the tank itself is a depression in the ground with a dense rubber membrane that resembles a heating pad.

In a commentary to UNN, Shapovalov dispelled all the fears of Trostyanchyk residents.

"To put it simply, the key question for me was whether there was an odor or not. I did not smell any odor. An expert was on site and gave his comments - all the technologies were followed. I believe that this is an industrial facility that was built to the best international standards, so I personally did not see any warnings. The expert opinion commented that there are no threats. There are no odors and this membrane is a very dense plastic. So there are definitely no threats," Shapovalov said.

The deputy also explained his position on the need to dissolve the regional council's working group on construction in Trostyanchyk. He is convinced that it was created solely for political reasons. 

"At the beginning of the commission's work, I wanted to look into the situation, but I see that some of my colleagues do not want to look into it. Some NGOs affiliated with my colleagues in the regional council are starting to talk about treason. Therefore, they simply used the commission as an instrument of internal political struggle, which is constantly going on in the Trostyanets community. I believe that the political component prevails over everything there.

I also want to make a comment about this visit to the facility. In November, I made a deputy appeal, waited for a response from the poultry farm, and then we called and made arrangements in the normal course of business. That is, I saved all this bureaucracy. This is an indicator that there is normal communication and that they are ready to meet. And when my colleagues came there in a hurry to film that story... I think the answer to the question of bias is obvious."

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The idea of dissolving the working group after the visit to the Ladyzhyn facility is also supported by Vinnytsia Regional Council member Roman Kvitko.

"I have been to this facility, and I also support my colleague's initiative to disband the working group, as I do not see the expediency of its further work, the objectivity of this work. 

In my opinion, the issue should be resolved locally, by people. And if people were taken to the facility  and given the opportunity to get acquainted with the further operation of the facility - how it will function, I think that people would realize that there is no stench and negative odor there."

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The fact that the process water reservoir to be built in Trostianchyk will meet all international standards is confirmed by Viktor Bulgakov, head of the Union of Environmentalists of Ukraine.

"In general, if we talk about the world experience and the European experience, including various methods of biological disinfection, manure and litter, this technology, which is proposed and, in principle, already being implemented, provides for effective work to ensure environmental standards within or in relation to ISO 2009, 2001, there are newer standards, but they provide for the proper disposal of such waste as chicken manure. This is what I have personally seen.

Now there will be additional examinations, but they are positive in terms of application. 

There are no significant or any sources of pollution at all - we are talking about soil, water, air -. There may be local weather conditions that provoke or produce something abnormal in terms of standards. But we're talking about compliance and adherence," the ecologist notes.

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Context

Trostyanchyk plans to build a technical reservoir for storing process water.

The facility will be built by MHP, a well-known Ukrainian company.

"It is not a sump, it is not some kind of treatment facility. It is a storage tank for process water only. Its purpose is the seasonal application of organic fertilizers.

In terms of its design or construction, the tank is a sealed container consisting of layers of high-density polyethylene. And, apart from the tank itself, we have not planned, do not plan and will not plan to build any treatment lagoons. I want to point this out because I hear a lot of people talking about lagoons," explained Igor Moskalets, Deputy Director of Construction at MHP.

The construction of a sealed tank in Trostianchyk is actively opposed by the deputy of the regional council, Ihor Khmil, who actively lobbied for the creation of a working group.