In the fourth quarter 2010, the Seversk-Donets Basin Department of Water Resources was very active in studying, discussing and searching for solutions of problems encountered in the Seversk Donets basins and its sub-basins and in developing measures to mitigate negative effects of industrial water users on water quality in the basin.

The XII meeting of Coordination Council of the Inter-regional environmental program on the protection and use of water resources in the Seversk Donets river basin was held in the Ukrainian Research Institute of Environmental Problems in the city of Kharkiv in November 2010.

The Head of Seversk Donets BDWR Antonenko V.E. and Deputy Head Belotserkovskaya N.O. took part in the meeting as well. 

A report on the results of 2010 summer studies of water samples and bottom sediments along the Seversk Donets river from its mouth in Belghorod province to the boundary between Lugansk and Rostov provinces was presented at the meeting. This report will be the basis for updating the Ukrainian part of the Inter-regional environmental program.

The meeting made decision regarding a need to set the status of the Program as an Interstate one and prepare a national part of the program as a State program on the Seversk Donets river within the Ukrainian boundaries.

The meetings of the Basin Department considered issues related to results of work of the Department and measures that were implemented as preparation to updating of the Inter-regional environmental program on the Seversk Donets river; problems related to maintenance of good quality of water bodies in the basin and its sub-basins; performance of waste treatment facilities at industrial plants that discharge wastes into surface waters of those rivers; the state of coastal protection areas; water use charges; implementation of water-protection measures along the rivers; use of up-to-date technologies for waste treatment; etc. 

At the same time, information of industrial water users on their work results in 2009-2010 related to efficient water use and mitigation of negative effect of wastewaters on water bodies and their work plans for 2011 was provided.

Information about the round-table meetings was placed on the web-site of the Basin Department in order to ensure transparency in area of water resources management. Information on the results and decisions made will be also shown on the site.

Information, those events were widely covered on portals and web-sites of three provinces in Ukraine (Kharkiv, Donets, and Lugansk), as well as in mass media.

Such meetings of the Basin Department devoted to sub-basins is of great practical importance for the development of River basin management plans as they can consider and identify more clear plans and measures for environmental improvement in those sub-basins.

This way of engaging water users allows for wider discussion of problems in the whole water sector and ways how to overcome them. Moreover, an important result of such events is informing stakeholders about the state of water resources in the Seversk Donets basin within the boundaries of Ukraine, about the basin-wide goals at national levels and tasks to achieve these goals.