Scholarly record

BISTROE CHANNEL – DANUBE DELTA RELATED RISKS

D. C. Diaconu, A. A. Tiscovschi

Abstract

In the current context of rapid economic growth of eastern and south-eastern European countries, the pressure exerted on the environment is in certain cases considerable, having repercussions that are not easily assessable and remediable. The Bistroe navigation channel is a Ukrainian investment within the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve; its objectives are reducing navigation expenses for the Ukrainian fleet and lowering the country’s unemployment rate. According to Ukraine officials, the losses caused by the use of Romanian shipping canals exceed 1 billion dollars. The Bistroe channel connects the Danube to the Black Sea and it was used as a navigable route until 1959, when, due to natural clogging processes, it was abandoned. Starting with 2004, the implementation of a series of modifications was initiated in order to obtain a navigable channel, thus resulting several conflicting situations between Romania and Ukraine with regard to the impact the changes would have on the environment. The negative elements that have been pointed out include the change of the hydrologic regime of a vast deltaic area, coupled with the advancement of salty water up the branch and the affectation of the avifauna; the perturbation of fauna due to construction processes and vessel traffic; the change of the alluvial regime of the secondary delta, Chilia. The accurate identification of the project’s positive and negative elements can lead to the find of viable, inexpensive alternatives, with potentially important implications for the environment.

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