On the issue of implementation of measures of the plan of management of river subbassins of Prut and Siret and the ability of territorial communities (on the example of the Ukrainian part of subbasin Siret)

Abstract

Today, anthropogenic effects on the environment are constantly growing. One of the ways of minimizing it is the management of the territory in the basin approach. It is on the river basins that the water potential is evaluated, the medium and extreme (flood, freshet, low-water period) are determined by the value of various hydrological characteristics, their distribution in space and time, forecast models, etc. Therefore, the river basin is the most reasonable spatial unit, and the basin approach should be at the heart of appropriate management decisions.

The research aims to analyze the possibilities of territorial communities to implement the measures of the plan management of the river basin on the example of the Ukrainian part of Subbasin Siret. The territory of the Subbasin River Siret is clearly (in the borders of Ukraine) marked with a watershed, has a catchment area of 1700 km², there are about 60 settlements from 12 territorial communities of two administrative districts.

The Prut and Siret Subbasin Management Plan for the for 2025–2030 is an integral part of the Danube River Basin Management Plan and provides 167 measures of them 87 % (146 measures) focused on the construction or reconstruction of sewage treatment plants or sewage networks at the estimated total cost of 7 099 million. UAH. (177,5 million euros) with expected influence on 1, 045 million people.

The River Basin Management Plan includes specific, clearly localized measures in the Siret Subbasin, among which the most significant are the construction of wastewater treatment facilities, restoration of free flow, establishment of water protection zones and riparian buffer strips, research and inventory of wetland areas, restoration of the Siret River, study of the current state of the spread of invasive fish species and measures to combat them, monitoring of riverbed lowering, and educational activities.

A comparative-geographical analysis of the integral efficiency index of territorial communities within the Ukrainian part of the Siret Subbasin, compared to other communities in the Chernivtsi region, indicates that most communities in the subbasin belong to the group with the lowest performance indicators. Choronological analysis shows that there are no communities with high indicators in the Siret River Subbasin, except for the Vyzhnytsia urban community and the Hlyboka community, which are positioned in the lower part of the top 10. Slightly above the regional average are the Terebleche, Storozhynets, and Berehomet communities. The rest (8 communities) take the lowest rating positions, mostly 40–52.

The analysis of the capacity of territorial communities within the Siret sub-basin practically demonstrates their inability to implement most of the measures of the River Subbasin Management Plan within their budget capabilities.

Increasing the capacity of territorial communities in the short term is possible through the mobilization of internal resources. In addition to the rational use of community lands, there is a need for maximum revenue generation with strict control over tax and non-tax income in the local budgets of all territorial communities within the Siret Subbasin.

Increasing the capacity of territorial communities in the medium term is possible through the development and implementation of strategic documents, investment, and regional projects. This applies to all communities in terms of regional projects and the implementation of development strategies, as well as to 9 communities in the development of investment passports. This will serve as a prerequisite for attracting investments, grants, and other funding sources. Therefore, the implementation of measures in the Siret River Subbasin Management Plan will require financial support from regional and state programs.