The main problems of the Uzh basin, which is 2750 square kilometers in Ukraine and Slovakia: floods that occur at any time of the year, causing significant environmental and economic damage, at the same time there is an anomalous shortage of water during droughts, which leads to many problems, including the deterioration of water quality.
The project measures are in line with the requirements of the current European water policy, in particular the EU Water and Flood Framework, which Ukraine has committed to fulfill after signing the Association Agreement with the EU in November 2014. Thus, the mapping of flood risks within the project will be performed according to a new national methodology that takes into account the requirements of the EU Flood Directive. This means that the project will develop maps and documents for the safety of residents of Uzhhorod based on the same standards currently applied in the European Union.
Based on the obtained hydrological, topo-geodetic data, data of orthophoto plane and digital terrain model, it is planned to create a hydrodynamic model of flood situation development and production of flood threat maps for the Uzh basin and flood risk maps for the city of Uzhhorod. The project will carry out the necessary research and calculations, mathematical and physical modeling, on the basis of which a working project for the construction of a regulatory structure on the Uzh River within the city of Uzhhorod was made. The dynamic structure will function in two modes – in floods it will sink to the bottom of the river, and in the period of low water it will create a support for 1-1,5 m, thus water will be poured through the structure. Preliminary calculations show that such a technical solution will be noticeable at a distance of 3.5 km above the structure, which will improve the water-ecological situation along the Uzh River, as well as give opportunities for recreational and tourist development of the city of Uzhhorod. hiking trails and more.
Plans for the construction of the mobile boating will be implemented only to the extent permitted by the recommendations of Ecosphere NGOs. Experts of the Ecosphere NGO and the UzhNU biofac will conduct biodiversity research of the ecosystem of the Uzh river Their task is to find out what level of water in the river and for what period will be optimal for both the conservation tasks of river and riverine habitats for native flora and fauna and for good watering of the river bed.
Areas of activity: over 2000 square kilometers in Ukraine and 740 square kilometers in Slovakia. The total length of the Uzh River within the project is 133 km.
Objective: To provide effective flood protection for the residents of the Uzh River Valley on its Ukrainian part, and to develop flood control measures in the low-water period and the drought period, taking into account the results of studies of the river ecosystem itself.
Result:
1. Within the framework of the project, a two-year scientific study of the biodiversity of aquatic and aquatic flora and fauna of the Uzh River in its middle course, in particular within the city of Uzhhorod, was carried out. An assessment of the impact of the planned construction of a support dam on the ecological condition of the Uzh River, the biodiversity of the river itself and the coastal area was carried out.
2. Based on the results of the research, the Report “Assessment of the impact of the construction of the dam on the biodiversity of aquatic and surrounding aquatic species of flora and fauna of the Uzh River within the limits of the city of Uzhhorod” was written and a monograph was published
3. Ecological and educational work was carried out with schoolchildren of Uzhhorod about the role of river ecosystems in climate formation, about the river’s inhabitants and about the importance of preserving rivers in their natural state. You can ask more about it here:
https://suspilne.media/8362-zimovij-eko-tabir-zelena-skola-pocavsa-v-uzgorodi/
https://ekosphera.org/chym-richka-mozhe-zaczikavyty-shkolyariv/
https://ekosphera.org/fahivczi-go-ekosfera-provely-ornitologichnu-ekskursiyu-beregamy-uzha/
Partners: Hungary-Slovakia-Romania-Ukraine Cross-Border Cooperation Program ENPI 2014-2020, Basin Water Management of the Tisza River, Kosice Water Management (Slovakia), Uzhhorod City Council.
Keywords: sustainable water management, aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity, eco-education
Read more about the project in the article “The floodplain of the Uzhhorod, the flooded Bozdoskyi park and flood protection: is it really possible to implement all this in Uzhhorod?”.
