Immediate Causes of Transboundary Issues

2.4. Immediate Causes of Transboundary Issues

The immediate causes of these transboundary issues are closely linked to the resource uses and practices in the following sectors of the economy: industry (including power energy, mining industry, metallurgy, and chemical industry), agriculture, transport, fisheries, and urbanisation. They can be also attributed to the consequences of the Chornobyl accident.

Issue: Chemical pollution:
- Operational discharge of liquid and gaseous effluents including cooling waters;
- Emissions from storage of chemical products;
- Emissions from storage of solid waste;
- Emissions from storage of liquid wastes;
- Emissions from transport;
- Runoff;
- Growth in the production of waste.

Issue: Modification/loss of ecosystems or ecotones and decreased viability of biological resources due to contamination and disease:
- Modification or loss of aquatic habitats;
- Changes in land use;
- Introduced species;
- Changes in the sediment transport regime.

In addition, the following transboundary issues contribute to this issue:
- Modification of the hydrological regime;
- Flooding events and elevated groundwater levels;
- Chemical pollution;
- Radionuclide pollution;
- Eutrophication.

Issue: Modification of the hydrological regime of surface waters:
- Flow regulation, including required releases from the Dnipro reservoirs;
- Flow diversions between the river basins or within the basin;
- Flow abstraction for domestic and industrial purposes;
- Land drainage activities;
- Flow abstraction for irrigation;
- Returns/runoff of water;
- Flow diversion for aquaculture;
- Peat extraction activities.

Issue: Eutrophication:
- Operational discharge of liquid and gaseous effluents including cooling waters;
- Runoff;
- Emissions from storage of liquid wastes;
- Emissions from storage of solid waste;
- Emissions from transport;
- Inputs of water-soluble compounds from drained areas.

Issue: Flooding events and elevated groundwater levels:
- Modification of the hydrological regime;
- Runoff from land surfaces;
- Elevated groundwater and surface water levels;
- Discharges of water.

Issue: Radionuclide pollution:
- Atmospheric and aquatic releases of radio nuclides during the Chornobyl accident;
- Secondary releases as a result of the Chornobyl accident;
- Point and diffuse discharges of mining process waters and tailing wastes from disposal sites at uranium mines and ore-enrichment plants;
- Emissions/discharges from radioactive waste disposal sites and ionising radiation sources;
- Emissions and discharges from NPP’s.

Next: Underlying Sectoral Causes of Transboundary Issues

Previous: Priority Transboundary Issues of the Basin