The sanitary and epidemiological situation in the region was discussed at a meeting of the presidium of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies
– This is a very important issue, as it is linked to the well-being of the population, – emphasized the Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies, Alexander Atyasov. – Overall, the situation is stable, and in some indicators, we are ahead of the republic. Nevertheless, there are issues that cause concern and require constant control, such as food production and storage technologies, drinking water quality, improvement of populated areas, maintenance of mini-landfills, bringing unused lands into circulation, and others. All of this, taken together, is about caring for the health of the population, which is our common task.
As noted by the Chief Sanitary Doctor of Vitebsk region, Vladimir Sinkevich, in recent years there has been a trend of decreasing infectious morbidity, which is aided by preliminary population immunization. The next vaccination campaign will begin in the second quarter, and epidemiologists are calling for the help of executive committees, including financial assistance. Special attention should be paid to retail outlets that still do not hesitate to sell food products with expired shelf lives and without documents certifying their quality. According to the results of the monitoring in the first quarter, the largest number of such cases were identified in Lepel and Miory districts.
Regarding the improvement of the land, it should be remembered that from January 28 of the current year, the Rules for the maintenance of populated areas and the improvement of territories, approved by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, came into force. The document provides for the functions of each service, and in case of non-compliance with the Rules, administrative penalties may be applied to both enterprises and owners of private households, chairmen of horticultural associations, and others.
– Citizens themselves should be more actively involved in landscaping. The environmental culture of our population is growing every year, but still, one can see garbage in recreation areas and forest areas, and even near private houses. In such a situation, only a monetary penalty can help someone get on the right track. Administrative responsibility provided for by law must be applied, – believes Alexander Atyasov.
Ecologists agree with this. As noted by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Ruslan Vinokurov, they are very concerned about waste management issues, the operation of landfills and sorting facilities, order at construction sites, and the upcoming fight against hogweed. These issues can only be resolved through joint efforts and if every resident of the Vitebsk region is interested in the cleanliness, beauty, and preservation of the clean ecology of their native land.
Olga MASLOVSKAYA, "Vitebsky Rabochy".