Kyiv, 9-th of april 2013. Activists all over the world are intended to protect the Carpathians Mountains from building small hydroelectric plants there. Residents of 100 cities as well as of many other European countries – Britain, the U.S.A. and even Lebanon, South Korea and Hawaii offer photos by their own in order to support the local publicity of Ivano-Frankivsk region.
In Ukraine, in the Carpathian Mountains, a massive construction of small hydro is being planned. The intention to build more than 570 small hydroelectric plants has been officially announced. Each of these projects involves the destruction of several rivers – from 1 to 8 overall. To operate a small hydroelectric plants water from the river is fed to the pipe, then is transported over a distance of several kilometers, and finally is fed to a turbine to produce energy.
Activists emphasize on the fact that the building on the stream bed of Carpathian rivers will definitely cause drying up, disappearance of fish, reducing groundwater. Futhermore, it may increase a threat of seismic activity. The construction of small hydroelectric plants also breaks the European Landscape Convention, damages recreational potential of the region, produces really negative impact on the development of water sport tourism, especially rafting.
The appearance of such projects has prowed to the world that such small objects of “green” energy, at certain circumstances, appear to be dramatically harmful to the environment. However, in Ukraine ssmall hydroelectric plants are supported by government.This is one more valuable reason why public organizations and local population are to protect the rivers.
– The campaign against the construction of small hydroelectric plants at the rivers of Carpathian mountains today unites thousands of tourists and activists of public organizations in Ukraine and abroad. – Says the vice-chairman of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine Oleksiy Vasylyuk. – The unification of tourists and locals in a single impulse to preserve nature under our this environmental campaign is really important.
– Photos sent by activists from many countries shows that small hydro in the Carpathians is not a private matter of inhabitants in several mountain villages. Today, when even the Minister of Environment and State Water Management Committee Chairman expresses openly in favor of small hydropower investors, it is very important to support the activists in the fight for the preservation of native wildlife and to show that in this fighting they were are not alone. – Adds Alex.
You can see all photos on the specially created interactive map :
http://goo.gl/maps/f3cAU,
on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.404622426299801.1073741826.100002561413396&type=1 ,
and on the website of the campaign: http://pryroda.in.ua/miniges/havayski-ostrovy-boston-i-beyrut-oboronyayut-karpaty/.
Collecting pictures in defense of the Carpathian rivers continues. Activists urge all who care to make photos with placards against small hydroelectric plants and send them to the email: [email protected].
