Summary of local survey report within the framework of People’s Eco-Life Project

LEARNING POTENTIAL OF ODESSA REGION WITH PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION AND ACTIVE HEADWAY OF ECO FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGIES

Dymkovska V.V., Kovalyova P.V.

December, 2008

Analysis of environmental problems in Odessa oblast shows that the most urgent of them are related to drinking water supply for the population met all sanitary standards, repair and reconstruction of water supply system and water treatment plants; high anthropogenic pollution of the Dniester, and also the problems of domestic solid wastes.

On-going regional programmes[1]:

• “Odessa oblast drinking water for 2006-2020”;
• The concept of atmospheric air protection in the city of Odessa before 2010;
• The program “Environmentally friendly transport to Odessa inhabitants”;
• The target program “Energy saving in the city of Odessa for 2007—2010”;
• The program for installation of equipment to take stock of cold and hot water in apartments of poor and privileged groups of inhabitants in 2006—2010;
• Odessa municipal program of rational use and saving of drinking water, improving of water supply “Clean water”

Renewable energy

Wind energy. Natural conditions of Odessa oblast are quite favourable for realization of projects related to wind energy. Advantages of the region are the following:

• High wind energy potential along seaside which has 40 km extension;
• Odessa estuaries which work as a big aerodynamic pipe;
• Low recurrence of calm and relatively high average speed of wind.

Solar energy. Odessa oblast also has very favourable natural conditions for effective use of solar energy. 1 square meter of solar collector in the conditions of Odessa climate can save around 0.35 Gkal of heat energy that corresponds to 50 cubic meters of saved natural gas. Despite of this energy can be used effectively during seven months cases of solar collector use are very rare.

Sewage and sanitation

Primary problems of the region in the field of sewage and sanitation relate to high level of anthropogenic pollution of the Dniester, and also to the high risk of viral infection, absence of necessary equipment for water treatment, obsolescence of treatment technologies.

Technology for exploitation of artesian water of upper-sarmat aquifer has been developed to solve the problem of drinking water supply for the population. Depth of the horizon is 120 m. Well-room complexes have been installed in each city district to supply the population of Odessa with drinking water.

Modern technology of water preparation is applied to condition artesian water in well-room complexes and includes the following stages of treatment:

1. mechanical-catalytic filtration — oxidation of iron cations (II), elimination of fine-dyspersated particles;
2. reverse osmosis of half of water volume — elimination of micro and macro components of water (calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulphates, chlorides, hydrocarbonates), microorganism;
3. mixing of reverse osmosis treated water with mechanically filtered water with 1:1 ratio, consequently such parameters as hardness, solid residual, concentrations of sodium, sulphates and chlorides meet hygienic norms;
4. ozonization of water, which allows providing of disinfection, deodorization, oxidation of organic and mineral substances, degassing of water on filters with activated carbon;
5. adsorptive treatment of ozonized water on filters with activated carbon, consequently ozone, oxidized organic and some mineral substances are eliminated
6. re-ozonization of water that already has been treated via absorptive treatment, before to deliver water to customers.

The Department of environmental safety provides social sphere with individual equipment for water preparation with its maintenance and water quality control.

Complete revision and repair of 34 units of water afterpurification “Midia-05” placed in kindergartens, boarding schools, and other educational buildings have been fulfilled. Currently their maintenance and water quality control, including 18 innovative units of UOFB type developed by Physics-chemical institute of O.V.Bogatsky, NAS of Ukraine were placed in special children institutions are carried out. The institute is a leading organization of “Association of water treatment equipment and treated water producers”.

Accordingly to the Order of local authorities “The Black Sea State Regional Geological Enterprise” has provided investigations of ground waters amount in each district of the city and Cadastre of Odessa ground water has been created, all artesian wells have been inspected on the city territory.

Domestic solid wastes

The issues of domestic solid wastes are the most relevant for Odessa region and for many others cities of Ukraine as well. There is a very high ratio of annual wastes’ accumulation, high speed of unauthorized dumps creation, and also absence of specially equipped domestic wastes landfills in Odessa oblast.

Annual volume of domestic wastes accumulation is 4 millions of cubic meters; it is 5 times higher than in Mykolayiv oblast and 2 times higher than in Kherson oblast. There are 557 dumps in Odessa oblast. More than 800 thousands of domestic wastes are created annually in the city of Odessa, which are removed to landfill-dump #1 in Dalnitsya open pit (square is 96.2 ha) and to landfill-dump #2 near cement factory (square is 5.5 ha). There is no industrial wastes landfill in oblast, therefore 3rd and 4th danger level industrial wastes are also accumulated; the total annual volume is 120 cubic meters. Moreover, it is very likely that high-toxic components (wastes) are also accumulated at these landfills. Possibilities to create new landfills are very limited by environmental, socio-economic and other reasons.

The principles of complex approach of domestic solid wastes management have been developed to solve the wastes’ problems and to achieve “0 wastes” via wastes’ components redirection.

Traditionally separated wastes’ gathering is fulfilled as collection of separate fraction of wastes into specially marked containers. At that around 46.5% of general volume of domestic wastes is non-separated and they are forwarded to landfills. From the past experience is known that such system of domestic wastes’ utilization is ineffective in Ukraine. Within third option separated wastes’ gathering assumes separation only one fraction from general volume of wastes — organics which decomposes easily.

In Odessa agglomeration there are necessary and sufficient conditions for practical realization of suggested utilization approach: “SaShyk” enterprise is interested in recycling organic wastes; Illichivsk city executive committee will provide collection of inert mineral wastes; state enterprise “Ukrekonomresursy” and municipal enterprise “Odeskomuntrans” can recycle potential recyclable materials; “Grin-port” enterprise has facilities to neutralize dangerous wastes.

It is also necessary to use facilities of 17 enterprises in Odessa oblast (15 of them are located in Odessa city) to support application of the wastes utilization method since they focus on recycling of the most valuable wastes’ components.