We continue to inform you about plans to destroy Ukraine’s rivers through the construction of new hydroelectric power plants (HPPs). This time, the threat is focused on the Sluch River in the Horodnytska community of the Zhytomyr region (Zhytomyrshchyna).
Developers are planning to build two new dams in this area: one in Horodnytsia itself, near the bridge, and another downstream of the village of Luchytsia, on the river rapids, near the border with the Rivne region.
The procedure for the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Detailed Territory Plans (DTPs) – the planning documents required for development – is currently underway.
Legal Violations and Flawed Assessments
The local council’s actions concerning the two planned HPPs are highly problematic:
- For the first planned HPP: The project proponent, the Horodnytska Village Council, completely ignored legal requirements by failing to register and send the necessary assessment materials to the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources (Min dovkillia) for analysis.
- For the second planned HPP: While the formal requirements were met, the assessment report itself was critically weak. It failed to withstand scrutiny and received numerous detailed objections from the Ministry.
Therefore, any attempt by the Village Council to approve the DTPs in their current state would constitute a violation of the law and could be successfully challenged and canceled in court.
The Sluch River’s Value
The Sluch River, in this section, already suffers from the negative impact of fragmentation due to the existing HPP in the village of Chyzhivka. Despite this, it remains in a relatively good ecological state compared to many other lowland rivers in Ukraine. It is important not only for biodiversity conservation but also for water tourism.
These are not the first plans to destroy the river. Nearly 10 years ago, similar plans to build an HPP in the village of Hubkiv (Rivne region) were stopped thanks to the joint efforts of scientists, conservationists, tourists, and local residents. We hope that the current plans to turn the river into a cascade of artificial ponds will meet the same fate.
A Conservation Solution
The best future for the Sluch River would be the establishment of the “Sokolyni Hory” (Falcon Mountains) National Nature Park across both the Zhytomyr and Rivne regions. Discussions about creating this protected area have been ongoing for many years, but unfortunately, no concrete results have yet been achieved.
