The influence of the war on the content of some components in the rivers of Ukraine

Abstract As a result of hostilities, the surface waters of Ukraine may be polluted by various components. This can significantly affect the safety of drinking water supply and the ability of water bodies to self-clean. The article is devoted to the calculation of modified water pollution indices and the assessment of water pollution for some Ukrainian rivers that may have been affected by the war. We calculated the modified water pollution index and assessed water pollution for 7 points of 5 Ukrainian rivers (Desna, Dnipro, Styr, Siversky Donets and Oskil) that may have been affected by the war. The modified water pollution index also included nitrates and polyphosphates, unlike the conventional water pollution index. River conditions were assessed from 2018 to 2023 in order to compare water quality in these rivers before and after active hostilities began in February 2022. The most significant effect of military operations on water quality in 2022 was seen at the Siversky Donets and Oskil rivers in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, where there were numerous ongoing hostilities. Pollution by biogenic components did not exceed the self-cleaning capacity of these rivers, but bioremediation methods can be used to accelerate the return to normal conditions. Despite being in a conflict zone in the spring of 2022, this had minimal impact on the water quality of the Desna and Dnipro rivers near Kyiv in the summer of 2022. The water quality of the Styr river was improved due to absence of active military actions near the river and significant decrease in tourism and agricultural use of territories.