OSCE helps reduce flood risk in the Dniester river basin
CHERNIVTSI, Ukraine, 17 December 2012 - Two automated stations to monitor the water level in the Ukrainian part of the Dniester River basin opened in Western Ukraine today with support from the OSCE.
Located in the towns of Zalishchyky (Ternopyl region) and Halych (Ivano-Frankivsk region), the stations will monitor the water level in the Dniester River, as well as water and air temperature. This information will be transmitted directly to Ukraine’s Dniester-Prut Water Basin Board based in Chernivtsi.
This information will make it easier to forecast floods in the upper part of the Dniester River, and will provide timely warning about expected water levels downstream. It is expected that in the future this data will be shared in real-time with other users located downstream, including Odessa in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.
The opening of these two stations is a part of a larger project to reduce vulnerability due to extreme floods and monitor climate change in the Dniester River basin. The project is implemented by the UN Economic Commission for Europe, the UN Environment Programme and the OSCE on behalf of Environmental and Security Initiate (ENVSEC).
“By supporting data collection and preventing flood risks, the OSCE is also promoting co-operation between Moldova and Ukraine on the joint management of the Dniester river basin,” said Raul Daussa, OSCE Environmental Programme Officer. “The new Dniester River Basin Treaty signed between Moldova and Ukraine less than a month ago in Rome is expected to increase this co-operation.”
The representatives of the State Water Agency of Ukraine, the water resources departments in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopyl and Chernivtsi regions, the Administration of Ternopyl oblast and the Disctrict Council of Zalishchyky as well as the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities took part in the official opening ceremony.
The project is implemented with financial support from Finland and Sweden.