Key Sectors and Immediate Causes

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4.2  Key Sectors and Immediate Causes

As well as determining the linkages between transboundary issues, it was also necessary to identify the immediate causes of each issue and determine their links with underlying sectoral causes.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 1: Modification of hydrological regime of surface waters are (listed in order of priority) energy (hydropower), agriculture, transport (river), urbanisation, industry and aquaculture. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- 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.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 2: Changes in the groundwater regime are (listed in order of priority) industry, energy and urbanisation. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Mining industry activities;

- Groundwater abstraction;

- Flow regulation.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 3: Flooding events and elevated groundwater levels are (listed in order of priority) agriculture, mining, urbanisation and transport. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Modification of the hydrological regime;

- Runoff from land surfaces;

- Elevated groundwater and surface water levels;

- Discharges of water.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 4: Microbiological pollution are (listed in order of priority) industry, agriculture, and urbanisation. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Discharges of insufficiently treated municipal effluents;

- Discharges of insufficiently treated effluents from food processing industries;

- Pollution inputs from non-point sources (especially during high flow periods);

- Discharges from livestock-rearing sites.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 5: Eutrophication are (listed in order of priority) agriculture, urbanisation, industry, aquaculture, energy and transport. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Operational discharge of liquids and gaseous effluents including cooling waters;

- Runoff;

- Emissions from storage of liquid wastes;

- Emissions from storage of solid wastes;

- Emissions from transport.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 6: Chemical pollution are (listed in order of priority) industry, agriculture, urbanisation, transport, energy and aquaculture. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Operational discharge of liquids 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.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 7: Suspended substances are (listed in order of priority) agriculture, urbanisation, industry and transport. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Significant inputs of suspended solids from point sources.

- Significant inputs of suspended solids from diffuse sources.

- Significant inputs of suspended solids as a result of land drainage/irrigation activities.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 8: Solid wastes are (listed in order of priority) industry, agriculture and urbanisation. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- The high rate of solid waste generation in the Basin;

- The large quantity of unorganised waste dumps and industrial waste disposal sites, especially in Ukraine;

- Accumulation of waste generated by mining industries.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 9: Radionuclide pollution are (listed in order of priority) the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, industry (mining) and energy. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Atmospheric and aquatic releases of radionuclides during the Chernobyl accident;

- Secondary releases as a result of the Chernobyl 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.

 

The key sector contributing to Issue 10: Accidental spills and releases are (listed in order of priority) industry, urbanisation and energy. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Episodic accidental spills of polluted effluents from the liquid waste storage sites;

- Episodic accidental spills of polluted material from industries;

- Spills associated with pipework breakdown etc.

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 11: Modification and loss of ecosystems or ecotones and decreased viability of biological resources through contamination and disease are (listed in order of priority) agriculture, energy, aquaculture, urbanisation, industry and transport. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Loss or modification of aquatic habitats;

- Changes in land use;

- Introduced species;

- Changes in the sediment transport regime;

 

In addition the following transboundary issues also contribute to Issue 11:

 

- Modification of the hydrological regime (see Section 4.3.1);

- Flooding events and elevated groundwater levels (see Section 4.3.3);

- Chemical pollution (see Section 4.4.1);

- Radionuclide pollution (see Section 4.4.3);

- Eutrophication (see Section 4.4.5).

 

The key sectors contributing to Issue 12: Impact on biological and genetic diversity are fisheries/aquaculture and transport. These sectors contribute to the following immediate causes:

 

- Introduction and invasion of new species.