On the 20th of March 2013, as a part of the social environmental initiative “Save the Dnieper together” a roundtable discussion took place, the main topic of which was “the Ecology of the Kakhovskoye storage lake: maintenance of the natural balance”.
During the roundtable discussion, the important environmental issues of the Kakhovskoye storage lake and the improvement of the Dneprovsky river basin have been discussed. Representatives of Regulatory bodies, “Zaporizhstal” Iron and Steel Works, environmental and social organizations took part in the roundtable discussion.
The roundtable discussion about the problems of the Kakhovskoye storage lake became a logic continuation of the social ecological initiative “Save the Dnieper together”, which was supported by “Zaporizhstal” Iron and Steel Works in November 2012. The event has consolidated the efforts of Zaporozhye citizens, environmental, ecological and social organizations on cleaning up the banks and water part of the river Dnieper (more than 1100 participants collected about 18 tons of garbage). In December 2012, “Zaporizhstal” Iron and Steel Works sponsored the second stage of the event “Save the Dnieper together” – stocking the river with the herbivorous fishes.
During the roundtable discussion, the participants emphasized the importance of the further realisation in 2013 of the social-ecological initiative “Save the Dnieper together”, the first step of which will be creation of the artificial spawning grounds to support the effective work of the natural spawning grounds of the river Dnieper. “Zaporizhstal” Iron and Steel Works finances the realization of this important environmental project, as well as all other projects within the initiative “Save the Dnieper together”.
“One of the most hottest environmental issue of the Kakhovskoye storage lake still reminds the silting of the shallow waters, which are suitable for spawning of fish, that leads to decreasing of fish population and change in the species composition of the fish” – thus and so Dmitriy Evseev, the deputy Head of the Zaporozhyeriboohrana comments out the current situation.
Social organizations of the region – Zaporozhye regional federation of underwater hunting, diving and fishery and the regional organisation of the Ukrainian society of hunters and fishers are ready for making of the spawning grounds.