Ecological risks in river basins: a comparative analysis of steppe and forest Ukrainian areas

One of the most important goals of the state environmental policy of Ukraine for the period up to 2030 is to reduce the environmental risks in order to minimize their impact on ecosystems, socio-economic development, and public health. This, in turn, is possible after reducing anthropogenic load and introducing environmental risk management. The purpose of the research was to establish the peculiarities of the ecological risk formation in deteriorating river basins for different natural and climatic zones of Ukraine on the example of the rivers Styr (Western Polissya) and Molochna (Steppe zone). The river basins within different natural and climatic zones of Ukraine differ in surface runoff formation, hydrological, hydrochemical regimes, and the features of aquatic ecosystems. However, these are affected by similar anthropogenic factors, resulting in conditions for emerging risks of the river basins' ecological status deterioration. Establishing the anthropogenic load level and evaluating the ecological status of Styr and Molochna River basins that were made using the induction coefficient of the anthropogenic load (ICAN): this showed that in the basins of these rivers, there is excessive usage of the land and water resources. Moreover, there is also a probability of environmental risks emerging in these rivers' deteriorating basins related to the degradation processes development. Because of the water quality evaluation in the rivers Styr and Molochna, it was established that primarily the pollutants belonging to the trophy-saprobiological block determined the water quality in the rivers. For the Styr River, heavy metal pollution (block of toxic and radiation substances) is also inherent, but their high content is also natural. The interactive development of the World Resources Institute (WRI), using the Aqueduct geospatial database, allowed us to establish the probability of water risk in the Styr and Molochna River basins and predict the development of environmental risks and water stress. It has been established that the Molochna River basin, which is located in the Steppe zone of Ukraine, is more vulnerable to the development of environmental risks. Thus, the anthropogenic factors, under the influence of which the ecological state of river basins in the zone of Western Polissya and Steppe zones of Ukraine are formed, significantly level the natural features of these basins' processes create the conditions for ecological risks with similar consequences. Keywords: river basin, ecological risks, anthropogenic load, ecological condition, water quality, degradation processes, water risk, water stress   References   Adamenko, O.M. (2011). Background environmental monitoring. Environmental security and balanced resource use, (2), 74-75. Alcamo, J., Florke, M., Marker, M. (2007). Future long-term changes in global water resources driven by socio-economic and climatic changes. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 52(2), 247-275. Datsenko, L.M., Molodychenko, V.V., Nepsha, O.V. (2014). Northwestern Pryazovia: geology, geomorphology, geological-geomorphological processes, geo-ecological state: monograph. Melitopol. Davison, A., Howard G., Stevens M. (2005). Water safety plans: Managing drinking-water quality from catchment to consumer, WHO/SDE/05.06. 235 ??. Demianova, O.O., Rybalov, O.V. (2013). A new approach to assess the environmental risk of the Inhulets river basin deterioration in the Kherson region. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 1(6), 45-49. Common implementation strategy for the water framework directive (2000/60/EC). (2003). Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/objectives/pdf/strategy2.pdf Engelman, R., LeRoy P. (1993). Sustaining water: Population and the future of renewable water supplies (No. Folleto 15537). Falkenmark, M. (1989). The Massive Water Scarcity Now Threatening Africa: Why Isn't It Being Addressed? Ambio, 18(2), 112-118. Hrytsenko, A.V. Vasenko, O.H., Vernichenko, H.A. (2012). Ecological assessment methods for surface water quality by relevant categories. Kyiv. Illiashenko, S.M., Bozhkova, V.V. (2005). Environmental risks of innovations: classification and analysis. Finance of Ukraine, 1, 49-59 Klymenko, M.O., Biedunkova, O.O., Klymenko, O.M., Pryshchepa, A.M., Statnik, I.I., Kovalchuk, N.S. (2019). Formation factors of cytogenetic violation of Rutilus rutilus (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) in transformed river ecosystems. Vestnik Zoologii. 53(5), 423-432 Kniazevskaia, P.V., Kniazevskyi, V.S. (1998) Acceptance of risky situations in economics and business. Moscow. Kontur. Likho, O.A., Hakalo, O.I. (2013). Evaluation and management of risks that arise when providing the Rivne region population with water. Rivne (in Ukrainian). Mitskevych, B.F. (1971). Geochemical landscapes of the Ukrainian Shield. Oleinyk, K. (2000) Environmental risks of economic (entrepreneurial) activities: essence, main types. Risk management. Nr. 3. p. 42-45. On the Basic Principles (Strategy) of State Environmental Policy of Ukraine for the period up to 2030: Law of Ukraine. Information of the Verkhovna Rada (IVR). 2019. No 16. Available from: https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/2697-19#n8 Osadcha, N.M., Nabyvanets, Yu.B., Yatsiuk, M.V. (2013). Analysis of water quality assessment in Ukraine and the main tasks of its adaptation to the European legislation. Scientific works of Ukrainian Research Hydrometeorological Institute. (265), 46-53. Revenga, C., Smakhtin, V., Doll, P. (2004). Taking into account environmental water requirements in global-scale water resources assessments. Rybalova, O.V. (2011) An integrated approach to determine the ecological status of small river basins. Issues of environmental protection and technogenic safety. Collection of Research Papers UkrNDIEP, ?????????, 88-97. Serdiuk, A.M., Buravlov, Ye.P. (2002). The problem of risks introducing into the sphere of ecological safety of Ukraine. Environment and Health, 4, 5–9. Skyba, V.P., Vozniuk, N.M. (2018). Ecological assessment of surface water quality of Molochna River. Scientific Bulletin of National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine (biology, biotechnology, ecology), 287, 33-43 Vasenko, O.H., Rybalova, O.V., Korobkova, H.V. (2012). Comprehensive assessment of the ecological condition of the Lopan river basin in the Kharkiv region. Ecology and Industry, (4), 114-118. Vozniuk, N.M., Kopylova, O.M. (2016). Surface water monitoring for Styr River by the hydrochemical parameters. Bulletin of National University of Water and Environmental Engineering. Series Agricultural Sciences, 2, 115-122. World Resources Institute. (2021). Available from: https://www.wri.org/our-work/project/corporate-water-stewardship Yatsyk, A.V., Byshovets, L.B., Petruk, O.M., Cherniavska, A.P. (2007). Methods of calculating anthropogenic load and classification of ecological status in small river basins of Ukraine.