Ecological Probiems Of The Beach Zone
ECOLOGiCAL PrOBIEMS OF THE BEACh zone
of yevpatoria city
D.V. Kornyushkin
The Council of People\’s Deputies of the city of Yevpatoria
The Chairman of the permanent Ecology and Efficient Use of Nature Commission, Head State Sanitary Inspector of the city of Yevpatoria
The All-Ukrainian children\’s health resort Yevpatoria situated on the western coast of the Crimean Peninsula is washed by the Black Sea and blended with the Kalamitsky Gulf the main merit of which a sea-shore famous for its unique sand beaches.
The importance of the children\’s health resort depends not only on its beaches. But it is precisely they, which ensure the fame of Yevpatoria outside the Ukraine and many other countries-members of me CIS.
In fact, it\’s impossible to overestimate the natural resources of the health-resort Yevpatoria. It\’s a seldom combination of steppe and maritime climates, of a big number of sunny days during the year (280 - 300), of the presence of curative mineral springs and of practically inexhaustible mud-bed in a neighbour region of Saki (curative mud is used at about 80 sanatoria of Yevpatoria) as well.
However it should be underlined that the main riches of the health resort are its beaches extending along the sea-coast for more than 12 kilometers. They are from 2-3 to several dozens meters wide. A thickness of a sand layer fluctuates considerably, too and its average thickness is 30-40 cm. It is the presence of unique sea beaches that attracts to our city thousands and thousands sick people and tourists that in its turn creates many problems of sanitary and economic character.
But the main problem is that during the last 10-15 years the beach strip all the way along it has been reduced and only a part of it (about 25%) is still untouched.
All the attempts to find the only true explanation of this phenomenon clash with the difficulties of all kinds which, of course, are connected with misunderstanding causal and consequent relationships or with their wrong
interpretation. As a result we have got plenty of different practical methods aimed at preservation of the beach strip, but most of them don\’t ensure a favourable solution of the problem.
To my mind, there are several reasons for such a situation. The first one is a rising level of the World Ocean - it\’s a problem of a planetary scale calling for its solution an intergovernmental cooperation and enlisting the services of the best scientists of the world. The second one is an anthropogenesis influence stipulated by many factors, the most important ones being an infringement of the rules regulating building in the limits of the sea-shore strip, economic activities of people, an excessive exploitation of natural recreation zones - in general, all those social problems causing violation of rules and norms.
As a result, a historical development of Yevpatoria and its geographical peculiarities caused a maximum load suffered by the natural recreation zone which is rather narrow (about 300 – 500 meters). In summer all the try to take up their quarters in this very zone and it transmutes into a real raw of stalls, snack-bars, trade-shops, etc. as sellers follow their potential consumers.
It should be also noted that along the whole length of the beach strip one doesn\’t observe a requirement of a strict sanitary regime obligatory for the first zone of the health resort sanitary protection. This zone has been chaotically built for many years and now is packed with sanatoria buildings, anti-shadow shelters on concrete bases, toilets, fences, etc. As a result a required 100meters zone is practically absent and some objects situated on the sea shore are already washed by the sea.
One cannot help mentioning such important reasons of worsening sea beaches in Yevpatoria as industrial extraction of sand in the vicinity of the lake Donuzlav, the exploitation of an industrial object in Saki which has interrupted a natural migration of sand from the east to the west along the Kalamitsky Gulf shore. One can find some more reasons, but those mentioned above are the most important ones.
in order to appreciate a problem in full measure one should study all what is happening systematically. The problem of the beach strip preservation mentioned above and some other ones are closely connected and we are to come nearer to this understanding. What must be the solution of this problem of vital importance? Before formulating the tasks, I would like to refer to the arrangements already made and to those to be made in the nearest future.
First of all, it\’s the Decision of the Cabinet if Ministers of the Ukraine №1269 of the 14th July 1999 concerning the status of Yevpatoria as an All-Ukrainian children\’s health resort. It determines clear restricting measures in three sanitary zones of the town. In the first one, which is the zone of a strict regime, any economic activity, including a building one, is prohibited. The positive moment of this solution is that from here now one should estimate the limits of the first zone starting from 100 meters from the beach end and not from the edge of the sea as it was before.
However the lack of about 80 millions grivnyas necessary for bringing the first zone of the strict regime to conformity with requirements creates many problems, as one has to dismantle numerous buildings and other structures and to take some other measures. In spite of this the City Council of People\’s Deputies and its Executive Committee is carrying out a certain work to solve the problem of me beach preservation.
A session of the City council has approved a Program aimed at the fulfillment of the mentioned Decision which envisages an adjustment of the General Plan of the Development of Yevpatoria: first of all, rebuilding the resort zone will be prohibited; the list of the objects to be taken away from the first zone has been approved; building, placing and exploiting of any objects situated on beaches and on the shore strip is forbidden. Some other measures are envisaged as well.
At the same time it is necessary to have more serious and balanced approach to this problem. The final program concerning the beach preservation must be based on legal foundation. Specialists who are not familiar with the up-to-date methods of research work in this field cannot be allowed to take part in solving this problem. We are to construct experimental models of a coastal strip and carry out laboratory analyses; we also should study the migration of sand in the waters of the Kalamitsky Gulf in summer and in winter as the influence of the wind regime in the zone or the sea beachs of Yevpatoria and many other things.
The Nature processes form a complex of interconnected and interdependent phenomena and if by chance during their study оne comes to wrong conclusions, it will entail not only wasted expense, but a redoubling of the existing problem as well.
In conclusion I would like to express a confidence that the problem of preserving sea beaches of the health resort Yevpatoria (which has exceeded the limits of our city problems) will find understanding in the Government structures – and an up-to-date scientific potential and the necessary financial aid will be mobilized for its solution.
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