War – is not just massive and inevitable death of people and destruction of infrastructure, but it’s also a serious damage of ecology. Emission of harmful substances into atmosphere when shells explode, pollution of soils with heavy metals, forest and steppe fires, pollution of fresh waters because of destruction of chemical enterprises and purification plants – those are not all threats to residents of Donbass. Iformator.lg.ua publishes extracts from report of the organization Ecology-Law-Human: “Military action in the East of Ukraine – civilization appeals to humanity”, it was devoted to impact of military actions on ecological situation in the ATO zone.
Air
One of negative consequences of combats is pollution of atmosphere by harmful gases, which spread to the air during artillery shelling and detonation of explosives. One kilogram of explosive creates a few dozens of cubic meters of toxic gases. Those gases can cause toxic rains, which will burn plants and worsen respiratory tract diseases.
Sulphur trioxide, which keeps in shells, can cause high secretion of mucus in respiratory organs, cough, hoarseness, sore eyes. Carbon monoxide even in low concentrations can cause dizziness and nausea, blood stops provide tissues with necessary volume of oxygen and cause hypoxia. Nitrogen dioxide decrease resistance to illnesses and oxygen starvation of tissues.
Breathing aromatic hydrocarbons worsen sense of smell, night vision, cause nervous system disorder, liver injury, injury of organs of internal secretion and lenticular opacity. Ecologists warn people not to go outside during shelling and breathe only through wet dressing.
Water
Destruction of infrastructure of water supply and water disposal, chemical pollution of water and cut off electricity on objects, which discharge sewage, can become threats to water resources and ecosystem in general. Because of combats water system of Luhansk is on the edge of sanitary catastrophe. Residents of Luhanshchina use water from overground sources, which have to be disinfected, but it wasn’t done for a long time.
Scientists report that consequences of water pollutions can be unpredictable and very dangerous. But it is impossible now to provide necessary control over quality of drinking water in the combats zone. Concentration of sulphates in Severskiy Donets River is 5 times higher the norm, concentration of nitrates – is 2 times higher.
Concentration of sulphates in water channel was 4 times higher the upper limit, water has salty taste and cause disorder of digestive apparatus.
Soil
Scientists of the organization Ecology-Law-Human counted number of shell holes near regional landscape park “Donetsk ridge”. They counted 15505 shell holes on the territory of 225 km2. There are at least 392 metal shrapnel, what makes those lands inarable and unfit for agriculture in general. Those lands have very high concentration of heavy metals harmful for health. Such metals can accumulate in person’s organism and cause illnesses of nervous, reproductive and cardiovascular system, damage liver and kidneys. If a shell exploded in your vegetable garden ecologists suggest to take off upper layer of soil before planting something.
Moreover, according to statistics about 3 per cent of shells don’t explode. It means that there are about 480 shells on the territory ready to explode any minute.
Fire
Area of the ATO zone, which was damaged by fire by the end of 2014 was 297005,9549 hectares or 14 per cent of all territory of the ATO zone. Investigation of localization of fire showed that in 81 per cent of cases fire damaged forest and steppe zones and only in 19 per cent cases – territory of settlements. 18 per cent of forests were damaged by fire and 23 per cent of steppe territories of the ATO zone.
Density of fire last year is much higher than previous years. Ecologists say that it happened because of impossibility of fire prevention on occupied territories close to the military conflict. It is also important that it is very difficult to restore forest ranges in steppe, because young cultures die the first year after planting, what makes almost impossible to plant new forests in steppe zone in Donbass.
Forests in Donbass were planted to create more humid and cool microclimate in comparison with natural climate of steppe zone. That is why ecologists are sure that destruction of forests will worsen conditions of life for local population.
Denis Matsola for the Informator.lg.ua