In 2011, enterprises of the Vitebsk region allocated about Br500 million for local water monitoring

March 21, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Enterprises of the Vitebsk region directed about Br500 million in 2011 for local monitoring of wastewater discharge and groundwater, the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection informed a BELTA correspondent. Currently, out of 77 nature users conducting local monitoring, 41 enterprises monitor wastewater discharge into surface water bodies at 63 observation points, and 50 enterprises monitor groundwater at sites of harmful impact at 56 observation points. All these observations are carried out at the expense of the enterprises' own funds. Local environmental monitoring is one of the components of the National Environmental Monitoring System and is carried out directly by nature users whose activities affect the environment. Here, the enterprises themselves monitor the quality of wastewater discharged into water bodies, surface waters in the area of wastewater discharge sources, as well as groundwater in the areas of industrial waste landfills, irrigation fields of large livestock complexes, filtration fields, and sludge beds of municipal treatment facilities. The actual water consumption of the Vitebsk region is 203 million cubic meters per year. Almost 49% of water withdrawn from surface and underground sources is used for production needs, slightly more than 30% is used for household and drinking needs, 10.4% is used for fish farming, 8.7% of withdrawn water is allocated for agricultural water supply, and 0.1% for irrigation. Significant consumers of water resources in the Vitebsk region are housing and communal services enterprises, whose water consumption averages 40% of the total water intake. There are 240 wastewater treatment facilities in the region, of which 127 discharge treated water into water bodies. 120 million cubic meters of wastewater are discharged into surface water bodies annually, including 1.2 million cubic meters of insufficiently treated wastewater. Potential polluters of surface waters are primarily economic entities discharging wastewater into the environment. In 2011, violations of wastewater discharge conditions into the environment were established in 88 cases at 42 enterprises, or in 13% of the total number of wastewater samples taken. 54 legal entities and 26 individuals were brought to administrative responsibility for the identified violations. The amount of fines amounted to Br42.28 million. 44 claims totaling Br577.21 million were filed for compensation for damage caused to the environment by violation of water legislation.