Last year, more than 5 million rubles were allocated from local budgets for environmental protection measures in the Vitebsk region.
A significant amount of work has been done to improve the land – this is a crucial state task aimed at creating comfortable living conditions, improving territories, and ensuring environmental safety. All tasks of the republican plan for land improvement and settlement development have been completed, with the exception of cleaning melioration canals from siltation (plan – 630 km, actual – 584.5 km) and from woody and shrub vegetation (520 km – 493.8 km).
Vitebsk region is the most water-rich. According to environmental monitoring data, the ecological state of surface water bodies in the Western Dvina and Dnieper basins is generally assessed as sufficiently favorable, and the water quality of the main rivers has remained stable in recent years.
To prevent groundwater pollution, decommissioning plugging of unused water intake wells is being carried out. This work will continue this year – over 620 thousand rubles have been allocated from local budgets for these purposes.
The reduction of industrial emissions of pollutants into the atmospheric air is consistent with a ten-year positive trend in reducing annual emissions from mobile and stationary sources. Observation results show that the air quality in the region remains favorable. The pollution level in cities with continuous monitoring is most often assessed as "very good," "good," and "moderate."
Work is underway to preserve and sustainably use landscape and biological diversity. Vitebsk region has 324 specially protected natural areas (SPNAs) with a total area of 415.5 thousand hectares (10.35% of the region's territory).
As part of the implementation of the Agreement between the governments of Belarus and Russia, measures are being taken to create the transboundary SPNA "Zaporovednoye Poozerye." Last year, work was completed on the creation of the historical and tourist route "Nature of Memory – Memory of Nature."
Control activities were carried out in the form of inspections, technical (technological, verification) measures, preventive and precautionary measures through monitoring, issuing recommendations, and explanatory work. As a result, over 2 thousand violations of environmental legislation were suppressed.
Roman Koltsa emphasized that environmental activities are a priority and should ensure environmentally favorable conditions for people's lives, the preservation and enhancement of our country's natural resources. Achieving these goals is possible only through clear and coordinated work of all units.
