| Danube Day 2009 in Prydunav’ii – Lower Danube, Ukraine |  |
| Thursday, 16 July 2009 00:00 | |||
Several events were organized in the Ukrainian part of the Danube to the Danube Day celebration in 2009. The environmental marathon on board of the ship “Eugene Kosyakov” on route “Izmail — Reni — Giurgiulesti — Izmail” became the main action of Danube Day celebrations. As part of the marathon the following activities were organized:
Danube Day 2009 was organized by 5 NGOs in cooperation with the Izmail city executive board, academic institutions and Regional Center of National Cultures in Reni. Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine has been providing the financial support for the Danube Day in Ukraine during last four years. Among the initiators — the organizers of Danube Day 2009 in Ukraine were the following NGOs: All-Ukrainian Environmental NGO network “MAMA-86”, Black Sea Branch of the Ukrainian Ecological Academy of Sciences, “Dobra Volya” from Ismail, Danube Youth Club from Vilkovo, Youth Ecological Center named after V.I. Vernadskogo with active participation of the International Platform of NGOs “Danube Environmental Forum”, Western Ukrainian Branch Center of International Center for Scientific Culture “World Laboratory”, WWF Danube-Carpathian Program and the Balkan Environmental Association. Danube Day 2009 has been supported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine, State Committee of Ukraine for Water Management, Danube Basin Water Management Department and local authorities. Representative of Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine Andriy Bublik participated in the event. Danube Day 2009 activities begun in early June. Danube Youth Club from Vilkovo together with the Danube Biosphere Reserve of Ukrainian Academy of Science and WWF cleaned the reserve’ skip in the area of “0-km” from plastic waste. Members of the club together with other environmental organizations from Kyiv, Odesa, Vilkovo and Kiliya conducted a series of educational activities and camping campaigns in June 2009, produced 30 works for the competition “Danube Art Master Competition”, filled in the questionnaire on draft DRBM plan.   
NGO “Dobra Volya” has initiated and conducted among environmental youth clubs a contest of environmental projects “I love Danube”. According to the contest results 3 mini-projects became finalists and the final vote took place on board of “Eugene Kosyakov” on June 29, 2009. Environmental marathon on route “Izmail — Reni — Giurgiulesti — Izmail” started on June 29, 2009 with prayers dedicated to well-being and prosperity of Danube region. During the marathon a frank discussion of all business stakeholders about development and implementation of National Action Plan for Danube in Ukraine, on the next steps for the health of rivers and people living in its basin was held.The main problems of the lower Danube area are intense land ploughing, the high concentration of environmentally hazardous enterprises, pollution of surface and underground waters, eutrophication of river and the Danube lakes, damming of a floodplain and reducing of the capacity of wetlands for river water clearing, the high level of danger of flooding, reducing biodiversity. The representative from the central office of the State Committee of Ukraine of Water Management Khorev Michail took part in the event and welcomed the participants. Representatives of Danube River Basin Management Department, Ukrainian Center of Ecology of the Sea, Danube Hydrometeorological Observatory, Danube-Carpathian Program of WWF gave presentations on the stages of development of the National Action Plan for Danube, integration of environmental management of the Black Sea and the Danube, the development of cross-border cooperation in the field of integrated water resources management in the Euroregion “Lower Danube” and hydrometeorological monitoring of the situation and the dynamics of watercourse processes in the Danube delta. Participants of the marathon filled in a questionnaire on draft DRBM Plan.      
On board of the ship 3 youth environmental clubs from Ismail presented their mini-projects aimed at studying the environmental situation in the lakes and cleaning the banks of the Danube River. Marathon participants through an anonymous voting selected the winner of the contest “I love Danube”. The Environment Science Society of Izmail Polytechnic School with their project “Study and assessment of ecological condition of Swan Lake” has won the contest. They will receive some money to implement their project.   
Participants of the marathon made a stop in Reni, where a concert of folk art was held. The public and local authorities from the city of Reni joined the marathon participants. A press conference “Prospects of transport cooperation in the Danube. The development of free economic zones” was held on board of the ship. The press conference noted the need to continue the railway to the city of Reni and the feasibility of further development of the port city.    
After the press conference marathon participants laid on the Danube water the wreath, which symbolizes the unity of Danube regions.  
Anna Tsvietkova, NGO “MAMA-86”, Kyiv — general coordination; Oleg Rubel, the Black Sea Branch of the Ukrainian Ecological Academy, Odesa; Jaroslav Kichuk, NGO “Dobra Volya”, Ismai; Tetiana Balatska, Eco-club “Danube”, Vilkovo, Danube Youth Club of Vilkovo; Tatiana Chorna, Youth Ecological Center named after V.I. Vernadskogo, Odessa
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