Today in Kyiv at a press conference in Interfax-Ukraine news agency representatives of environmental non-governmental organizations came together in order to find out the truth about the consequences of a fire at the oil depot near Vasylkiv Kyiv region.
Already a month has passed after the fire at the BRSM-Nafta oil depot in Vasylkiv. The consequences of this accident are still the cause of huge concern in the environmental community. During this time, different opinions were made public regarding the causes of fire and the different views on its consequences. At the same time, the information from different sources is controversial, and according to participants of the press conference it is not always adequate to the situation.
Also experts aren't satisfied by the level of competence of the leaderships of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine regarding the organization of work and the methods used to assess the environmental impacts and potential losses from the fire. Also nobody has studied the environmental impact of other oil depots of the BRSM-Nafta. That is why environmental organizations, united in the public council under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, took the initiative to establish an independent commission of experts with the involvement of European research centers for the study of the real situation.
Speaking to reporters, Deputy Chairman of the Public Council and president of the All-Ukrainian NGO "Living Planet" Svetlana Berzina said: "The government in this situation didn't work effectively and transparently, in every way delaying the process of assessing impacts. At this point public has no access to official documents with data regarding indicators of pollution and their comparative characteristics of background values. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine does not make an adequate assessment of the situation and is trying to determine only economic loss, using strange methods that do not conform to current standards. In parallel, there is an active promotion of the various companies in the aftermath. But what can be eliminated if the actual scale of the consequences has not been really appreciated? Moreover, the government is sabotaging the inclusion of a representative of the public council into the working group, established under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine to develop a plan of action to eliminate pollution of the environment."
Her dissatisfaction by the actions of the Ministry expressed Elena Turos, MD and head of the "Center of medical and environmental problems and the risk assessment: "Today I go to the working group at the State Emergency Service (GSCHS), but when there was a fire at the oil depot near Vasylkiv, neither I nor the other experts of our institute have not received any complaints or requests from GSCHS! Understanding the real threats to the environment area, on own initiative as volunteers we went there with a powerful mobile medical and environmental research laboratory for air pollution in settlements located near the scene.
In the course of our work it became clear that an international convention SEVESE, which concerns accidents on oil pipelines, storage depots and lubricants and fuels, does not work in Ukraine. But why develop their own projects from the beginning, if the most effective and reasonable way is to harmonize their activities with EU standards, where we are trying to get. In particular, the adoption of the said Convention, where there are a clear points about the activity of enterprises, particularly in terms of liability of the owner of the enterprise and the state, approved the draft of its construction without considering the possible dangers to public health, that would help to avoid many of the problems in the present and in the future", said Elena Turos.
Also, the doctor noted that during the accident there was no notification of the population about the threats: "By international standards, at the first day of the accident for population it must be provided information on how to protect themselves. Citizens have the right immediately to be informed about the dangers and measures of individual protection , but instead we watched as children from Vasylkiv came on bicycles to look at the fire, and in a potentially dangerous area constantly were journalists without any personal respiratory protection."
Continuing the theme, an authoritative expert Oleg Kartavtsev, the certified environmental auditor and the chairman of the Committee of Public Council under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine on ecological safety and expertise, announced that despite the sabotage of government agencies, the independent expert committee will hold an environmental assessment in accordance with international standards and methods for the determination of the real consequences of the accident for the environment and human health. "To do this, we will use European laboratories and independent expert organizations. Our goal is a realistic assessment of the level of pollution, and to inform the public and develop a plan, which will adequately fit to the situation, to eliminate the consequences. All materials of the expert committee will be placed in the public domain, as well as all the prepared recommendations, which will be given to all interested parties."
Public activists point out that the government's actions in a situation with a fire near Vasylkiv can be seen as a profound lack of professionalism or as actions for further manipulation of the situation.
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