Diagnostics of the environmental safety of residential territories of the Rivne region by groups of indicators

Abstract

The current state of the ecological situation in our country is becoming dangerous not only for the present but for future generations largely. These are contradictory principles of sustainable development and threatens the further development of the state.

        Ensuring the sustainable development of human civilization depends on many factors and conditions. In recent decades, humanity has been actively implementing the concept of sustainable development. This concept became widespread after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. This concept of sustainable development creates possibility to achieve socio-ecological and economic security and safety.

        The concept of sustainable development is based on the impossibility of solving environmental safety problems separately without solving economic and social problems. Thus, focusing only on the economic indicators of production leads to a catastrophic deterioration of the environment and public health, which is accompanied by loss of ability to work, reduced efficiency, and, consequently, reduced Gross National Product. At present, the concept of sustainable development is especially relevant for our country in general and for its regions in particular.

        The problem of environmental safety plays an important role, as it ensures the use of natural resources that will contribute to their natural recovery as well as reduce the impact of anthropogenic pressure on the environment.

         For effective studying the problem of environmental safety we decided to assess environmental safety at the regional level on the example of Rivne region. The article considers the issue of assessing the state of ecological safety of residential areas of Rivne region. Analysis of recent research shows that environmental safety is formed under the influence of environmental, socio-economic and man-made factors. Therefore, the definition of environmental safety requires a comprehensive approach.

        Since the definition of local safety requires a comprehensive approach, it is based on assessing the socio-ecological safety of the research area. Achieving the goal is expected through the solution of the following tasks:

-         substantiate the selection of indicators for the assessment of residential areas;

-         to calculate the levels of security of residential areas of Rivne region for each district.

        The method of evaluation of scientists Gerasymchuk Z.V., Oleksiiuk A.O. is represented as a basis. It is proposed to divide all indicators into 3 blocks: resource, biosphere-centric and anthropocentric.

        The assessment is performed using indicators of partial integrated levels of environmental safety of three blocks of resource, biosphere-centric and anthropocentric. In the resource block we will analyze the indicators that show the number, level of involvement and efficiency of use. In the biosphere-centric we will analyze the indicators of anthropogenic impact on the environment through the formation of discharges, emissions and waste. In the anthropocentric block we will study the state of health of the population, the level of growth and population estimate.

Then, based on these calculations for each unit, we determine a partial indicator of environmental safety. On the basis of the calculated 3 blocks according to a technique we will receive an integrated indicator of ecological safety. The integrated indicator gives a qualitative assessment of the ecological condition of each specific district according to the developed scale Gerasymchuk Z.V., Oleksiiuk A.O. Also this indicator gives us the possibility to make a comparative description of the districts among themselves.

Thus, in our work it was established that in the vast majority in the zone of ecological threat there are 12 districts, in the zone of ecological danger - 3 districts of Rivne, Sarny, Zdolbuniv regions. In the zone of ecological risk  is  Berezne district. A large number of areas that are in the zone of danger indicates that these areas are characterized by a high level of man-made load on the environment.

Based on this, to ensure the environmental security of the territory it is necessary to form the main and supplementary  strategies, depending on the state of environmental security and financial capabilities of the region.

Thus, the conducted diagnosis of environmental safety allowed to assess not only the integrated indicator of environmental safety, but also to identify the main factors that may lead to the deterioration of the environmental situation.