Polluted sea waters can reach shores of Romania, Bulgaria in few days - ecologist
Polluted water in the Black Sea is rapidly moving south and may reach neighboring countries in the near future.
Viktor Komorin, the director of the Ukrainian National Center for Marine Ecology, said this during a briefing at the Odesa Media Center, Ukrinform reports.
"Satellite data shows that the polluted water reached Zatoka yesterday. That is, the water is moving south faster and faster. In a day or two, these contaminated waters may reach our neighbors - Romania or Bulgaria," Komorin said.
The expert noted that if the contaminated freshwater mass reaches the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, they will experience the same changes in the marine ecosystem as the Black Sea in the Odesa water area.
"This is due to a large amount of nutrients - it could be seawater blooms, it could be toxic substances," the scientist said.
He added that the decrease in the number and even death of benthic ecosystem species in certain areas of the Black Sea is a matter of concern.
"So far, all the pollution is going between Odesa and the Danube, due to the respective winds and currents," Komorin added.
The director of the Ukrainian National Center for Marine Ecology also noted that the issue of whether the institute's scientists should go out to sea on military vessels to take water samples away from the shore is currently being resolved. This is necessary to understand what kind of pollutants have entered the Black Sea.
"We are already negotiating with the military to have scientists do this on their ships, but there are certain security difficulties," Komorin explained.
According to him, the research of water in the sea may become part of the criminal case on ecocide opened by the prosecutor's office due to the hydroelectric dam blowing up.
As reported, at night on June 6, the Russian military blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. Rescue operations and evacuation of the population from the flooded areas are ongoing in the Kherson region. Contaminated Dnipro waters reached the Black Sea the day after the explosion.
There may be dangerous objects in the piles of debris and garbage that washed away from the Kakhovka Reservoir and is now washing up on the coast, including Odesa. The debris can be removed only after the area has been inspected by explosive experts. Salmonella and an intestinal infection have been detected in the Black Sea in the Odesa region.