On Thursday, May 20 at 16:00, experts of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center presented the results of monitoring of the water resources of Crimea in an online format based on satellite imagery for the period from November 2020 to April 2021. According to the organization, a reduction in the water surface of almost all water bodies in an average of 33%.
Speakers at the event were:
Eskender Bariiev – Head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Head of the Department of Legal and Foreign Affairs of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.
Members of the expert council on environmental protection and sustainable development of Crimea of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center:
Tetiana Kuchma – Leading Researcher at the Institute of Agroecology and Nature Management;
Yevhen Khlobystov – Professor of the Department of Ecology of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Academician of the Academy of Economic Sciences of Ukraine.
Tetiana Kuchma noted that the study was based on data from the Sentinel-1 satellite radar imagery of the European Space Agency. Radar satellite imagery refers to active methods of remote sensing, in which the source of electromagnetic radiation is the satellite system itself, which makes it independent of weather conditions, cloud cover and time of day.
"As a result of the analysis of the state of water bodies within the Crimean peninsula during the winter and spring period of 2021, according to Sentinel-1 satellite radar data, a decrease in the water surface of almost all water bodies by an average of 33% was revealed",- expert Yevhen Khlobystov noted.
In addition, in six reservoirs the area of the water surface has decreased by more than 40%, these are the Frontove, Partyzanske, Simferopolske, Zahorske, Taihanske and Mizhhirske reservoirs.
The experts concluded that now there is a reduction in the area of the water table for virtually all large water bodies of the Crimean Peninsula, compared with the area of the water table in 2013.
"Despite the fact that there is a catastrophic lack of water in Crimea, the occupying authorities continue to declare that they are expecting a holiday season of many thousands. Unfortunately, we see that the militarization of Crimea continues, when a lot of military equipment and soldiers are brought in. Moreover, we see the process replacement of the population, that is, the active settlement of Crimea by citizens of the Russian Federation. What will this lead to? We do not know. But with such studies, we first of all try to warn the international community and the public about what is happening in Crimea",- Bariiev stressed.