Environmental Protection in Belarus

The relationship between man and nature has become one of the most acute problems facing the mankind today. Ecology stands at the crossroads of politics, science and economics. Unfortunately, Belarus is running all ecological hazards facing any modern society today.

The question of the rational use of water resources and their protection from pollution becomes of primary importance. Streams, rivers and lakes are poisoned with industrial waste, chemical and sewage discharge. As a result some rivers and lakes are so badly contaminated that the water is unfit for bathing. Modern technologies based on water recycling or low water consumption are some of today’s answers to the question of water pollution.

Another issue is soil contamination. The primary soil pollutants are fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, when used in unreasonable quantities. Soils, containing harmful chemicals lose their natural fertility and agricultural products produced on such soils are a real threat to consumers’ health. Moreover, radioactive contamination of a considerable part of the country’s territory after the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl power plant in 1986 seriously aggravated the ecological situation in Belarus and made 23% of the Belarusian territory unsuitable for habitation and agricultural activity. The problem of the consequences of that explosion is still one of the most pressing.

It’s no secret that Belarus lacks space in which to discard garbage, and the current methods of its disposing are endangering the environment, putting hectares of land out of useful circulation. Finding an ecologically safe solution to the problem of waste disposal is one of the headaches of modern civilization. Reduction of wastes and recycling could possibly put an end to this problem.

The ecological situation in Belarus remains grave. That’s why at the present stage the key priorities of the government policy of the Republic of Belarus are ameliorating the system of nature exploitation and preserving the environment. The ultimate objective of this policy is to maintain ecologically safe conditions for habitation of people, to protect and use rationally the natural resources of the country not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations. To achieve this goal, a system of state management for environmental protection in the industrial sphere with gradual transition to conserving resources, low waste and non-waste technologies, improvement of environmental legislation, are required.

The integrated approach to the solution of the existing problems includes measures directed at preserving and strengthening the ecological security of the country. The basis of environmental legislation is laid by the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On environmental protection”. State control in this field is carried out by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus. The perspectives are the improvement of technologies in the sphere of industry; ensuring more rational use of natural resources and reduction in wastes and dumps into the environment; the expansion of the network of enterprises on secondary waste utilization and processing; the erection and reconstruction of purification facilities, etc.

Being a member of many conventions and international agreements in the area of environmental protection, the Republic of Belarus has ample opportunity to protect and preserve Belarusian nature.