tideland

Ukrainian grandfather Mazzei of Cherkassy region lived at the river - hauls tourists on hunting and fishing. Oleg Samoilenko and his fellow villagers are not afraid of the flood - their homes are on the mountain: "And here Cherkassky oligarchs their dachas for the village was built on the banks of the Dnieper. He and worry." The man is ready at any time bring the local feudal lords, with their gilded chests of drawers and wealth in the boat and take in a safe place. "All is saved, if only to pay" - he jokes.
Floods Ukraine is inevitable. According to various forecasts up to a quarter of the country may be in the water areas of greatest risk - the Carpathians, Polesie, Eastern Ukraine and elite buildings near Kiev. Much water will last two to three weeks, but when it will be, can not say no. One thing is clear: to prevent flooding is impossible, but to minimize the damage is real. If it were not building in floodplains and deforestation in the Carpathians.
Blame themselves
"Calculate the speed with which will melt the snow, nobody comes, - says Alexey Focus Vasilyuk, head of the youth branch of the National ecocenter Ukraine. - Ukrainian rivers filled not only with its melting snow, but a neighbor - the Dnieper and Desna flow into Russia and Belarus, where this winter had the double rainfall.
The water in the Dnieper rises at 3,5-6,5 meters, but in Kiev these figures will add another 80 centimeters, experts say. The reason - a barbaric building Training Center, which creates a barrier to flooding. That is already happening in the east, the flood will not name, and flooding - bold, confident Anatoly Yatsyk, director of the Ukrainian Research Institute of water and environmental problems. In his view, the problem is not in flood rivers, and in the absence of a functioning drainage systems. It is not in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Mykolaiv and Odessa regions and in Crimea. Begun flooding in Kherson - also the result of negligence, rather than rampant element: before the excess water pumped out, and now have nothing.
"In the inundation zone - 23% of the territory of Ukraine. Water is not given, and swim area," - says Mr. Yatsyk.
Uncleanness - the Dnieper
Deputy director of the Institute of Hydrobiology National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Sergey Afanasiev calculated that the land was included in the dry winter and is now ready to absorb the water. "Flushing will be, but hardly strong. Let him and my cottage in Osokorki damping, - he said. - Flood - a deep breath for the river. The garbage goes, the fish will spawn normally."
Capital environmentalist Alexei Vasiljuk predicts problems with transport due to the rise of water in the area of Podil, and the left bank of Kiev promises interruptions in telephone and Internet. In the rush to reassure the mayor's office: flooding, and even touch objects Kyivvodokanal, Kyivenergo, "Kievgas, but the capital is guaranteed to be with water, light, gas and telephone. "We all sealing and rush to remove the snow" - report to his Vitaly Wheat, head GU emergencies in Kiev.
Where a real danger to the city and region - the pollution of drinking water. First, in the Kiev reservoir can rise radioactive sludge - it is 330 thousand railway wagons. And because of podmyva Bortnicheskoy aeration station 35 million Ukrainians living below the Dnieper, at risk of water with sewage. In western Ukraine, near Kalush, the threat is even worse: here is located the state enterprise "Factory potassium, salts which can poison the water in case of flooding.
Rabbits are waiting for the flood
"On the river near the village of Turka Stry, where in 2008 the flood, now a 40-cm ice. If the blocks bear on the river, they'll be stuck in the towers and bridges. For two or three hours to inundate the nearby villages, a hospital and a hydroelectric power station, - says Paul Vasilenko, head of the press service of Ministry of Emergencies in Lviv region. To save the region, have to blow ice TNT. And sometimes even their own bodies to contain the flow of water. One of the local rescue recalls how in the Western Ukraine two years ago, the colonels of the MOE closed a hole in the sand dike. "Where is the good - in one village we ass, pardon me, to hold water. The second had the whole neighborhood obbegat to find out what local Ivan stole a crane - no he did not pull water from the artificial lake. But without descending to the village was flooded."
Central Ukraine also protect against flooding. Of the Dnieper cascade into the sea after almost as much water as Ukraine consumes in a year.
We got a flood and to Dnipropetrovsk region - along with rabbits, which saved the city from starvation. "No matter how warm the machine will go out in the morning, I see how rabbits scatter. Because of the ice cover have nothing to eat, so Rusaki came to town - eat off the bark of fruit trees," - says biologist Roman Nowicki, associate professor of Dnipropetrovsk National University.
Violated the law - pay
Will I have to fork out compensation for victims - depends on the strength of the floods. But insurers in Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Vinnitsa and Chernovtsy regions have recalculated their customers at risk of losing housing. However, after the flood in 2008, willing to insure housing was reduced. Natalia Hudyma, president of the League of Ukrainian insurers, says: "The insured people are eligible for state aid, although regularly paid contributions - she said. - And rightly figured: Why pay more if the state and so can help. So we lost 10% of our customers" .
Ukrainian environmentalists believe that the situation may be corrected by environmental insurance. Everyone who is at risk to build in the forbidden zone in case of flooding can not expect government compensation.
Flood awareness
Meteorologists measure the degree to which frozen soil, with immersed in a special hole thermometers. Residents of villages will learn about the state of soil from the grave-diggers. "Now they say that the earth is only a couple of feet froze, and then - as dry as gunpowder. The snow begins to melt - water goes directly into the ground. But if the river through the dam goes, we swim," - said a resident Gnidyna. This village, together with neighboring Vyshenky is located 15 kilometers from Kiev, in a valley near the Dnieper. Left-bank dam during severe floods certainly would be under water: it was created as an overflow. Today, hydrologists say that even if the snow will not be added and the water from all four rivers do not fill the Dnieper at the same time, a flood will still be the strongest over the past five years. In other circumstances, could be repeated flooding of 1979. It was not as ruthless as in 1970, but local remember it well.
30 years later
65-year-old Katerina Ivanovna says that in the 70-m water was up to the windows, and in 79-m - on the top step of the porch. The village went on the boats that were moored directly in front of the house. Both floods were devastating: the homes of the furnace to fail, the walls of besieged fungus floating furniture. "Now, not only furniture will fly" - Katerina Ivanovna laments, referring to the contents of cesspools, which appeared on the dam when it launched the construction of residential houses. While some hope that it Tsarskoe Selo (the so-called local cottage town "Zoloche"), located between the villages and the river, could help in the fight against the elements. "I think not driven to ensure that residents of the village was flooded - the water later" - hopes Basil Code, a deputy village council in Vyshenky.
But in the village hall Gnidyna this does not count. Local MPs instructed to register all who own floating craft and is ready to participate in rescue work. The village also made up lists of lonely, elderly and sick, which in case of flooding may need assistance. Local authorities even decided to establish an ad hoc militias, which, in particular, will confront looters. The local newspaper Sribna підкова also advises not to panic, although it notes that in the neighboring village sold cheap rubber boats.
Pitchfork water
However, nothing like the panic in the villages is not observed. Almost all the villagers with whom I communicate Correspondent Focus, a flood is not ready. "I think the flood will not happen - calms the father of the Roman Vishenek - and if it happens, somehow survive."
How to assure the locals in Vyshenky Gnidyne and everyone has a boat, but to find the owners of craft was not easy. 30 years after the flood, many Dural boats worn out and were handed the younger generation of metal. Vasily Kodiya boat remained. "Previously, when the gang was fishing, the boats were almost all" - says Basil Nikitovich. He recalls how in the 70-m of water sticking out the tops of trees, and fears that a flood of this magnitude could happen again. "Many people here worry that the Kiev dam would break down and break. She is not the first year in an emergency state", - said deputy village council.
At Osokorki, one-story neighborhood of Kiev, stretching along the Dnieper, too quiet. It sure: flood 30 years ago will not happen again. "Under the snow, the soil does not freeze, it is well absorbed melt water" - with knowledge of the case said one of the old-timers.
In the wet spot
Frequent flooding in Transcarpathia region went against the logic of benefit. Local residents themselves reinforce the shore and prepare to meet the big water.
Eleanor Bone paces in the native village Simmery in rubber boots. She put them out of habit. At this time of year Turiya river that runs 50 meters from the house, usually already out of the banks. While the river is calm, but in this region the day the day is not necessary. As they say, local, flooding a few hours at the river flooded homes. And this happens not only in the spring when the snow melts, but in the summer or fall during prolonged rains. Water will be more, "- peering into the river, as if reading her mood, says Eleanor. In her reaction does not understand: she is afraid of it or, conversely, is waiting.
A couple of years ago to protect Simmery, built here two-meter protective dam. 600 meters of the embankment cost the state about a million hryvnia. Now it's protective structure cherish as the apple of our eye. Special devices - Doppler - fixed water level every five minutes and transmit data by satellite.
On the other side of the village flows the other mountain stream, which in December had overflowed its banks and podtopila parents' house Eleanor Bone. "They're boots, in slippers, - says the woman. - And what to do, water can not explain something that we live here."
Neighbor River
"For us, the flood - a common thing" - not looking up from the monitor tells the head of the Transcarpathian Regional Department for Water Management, Vladimir Chipak. On the screen - a detailed schedule of rising water in rivers, compiled with data from 44 monitoring locations of rivers. The dotted line back in late February, quickly spread upwards and now rests above the red, appears to be a critical line. The data on the screen saying that the flooding in Transcarpathia is, but on the fact no one has flooded. Such a focus would be the envy myself Copperfield. However, Vladimir Chipak denies the possibility of fraud.
"We have a clock there are 22 pumping stations that pumped 4 million cubic meters of water, - he explains. - Even though that one station was broken pump in Chop a large flood, and the Tisza already Wake up to five and a quarter feet, all is nowhere spillovers.
In short, flood control, although not all that bright. While correspondent Focus examines the schedule on the monitor, the head of arguing with someone on the phone.
"Financing of the curve repeats the flood, - complains Chipak, drawing sine wave on the worksheet. - Money allocated late, only after the flood of people."
In 1998, the Transcarpathia was faced with the devastating floods. Damage to the melt water, then valued at 800 million hryvnia. The state budget has been allocated funds for the construction of dams. After two years and four months the region has faced a wave again, only more powerful. However, this time the damage was less than half - about 450 million hryvnia. Estimated Vladimir Chipaka, each hryvnia invested in preventing damage, saving ten times greater. However, government programs never fully funded. Here and now funding is only 40%. In recent years, built and rehabilitated 100 km of dams, another 40 km coast strengthened.
"Every year, the amplitude of the flood is increasing, - says Mr. Chipak - is one of the elements of climate change. Therefore, it makes no sense to fight them, we must learn from their experience fewer losses."
In the example causes people Chipak German town of Koblenz, which is located at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle. Each year, two out of the river banks, podtaplivaya coming home. Therefore, the locals all the furniture on wheels, and each has a rubber dinghy. But when they offered to build a dam, they went to protest. "Rivers needs space, and can suffer for the sake of this week's flooding. This attitude is now being promoted in Europe", - concludes Chipak.
Boat and manners
Andre Cole House is a family from the village of Borzhava Beregovskogo district - one of the closest to a river. In 2006, their so flooded that two years had to live with relatives. By itself returned only after the village strengthened dam. Yes kind of furniture on wheels - waving the head of the family. - There would not drown himself.
Previously from the window of their house was visible river. Now - the dam. But Cole finally make the repairs, without fear that the river will wash away all their belongings. The boat lock up the shed, and not under the bed. And, perhaps, Andre cease to dream, as he and his wife and children sitting on the roof and waiting for the helicopter.
Our guide Olga Soroka, head of the Transcarpathian Water Management, said that not all local so willingly give up some of its territory for the construction of the dam. Many seek compensation, they say, your river - and your problem.
"Sometimes, such that the whole village there is one opponent of the dam, will be rested, and anything with him not to do, - says Soroka. - So at night we were building. Or there is now chairman of the village council Gorinchivo believes that we take away too much land."
Other villages for decades waiting until they begin to build flood control facilities. For example, villagers Zarechnoe dam promised when Kravchuk, and built only for Yushchenko.
In some villages of the Carpathian dams strengthened by donor organizations from Europe. For example, in the village Kvasovo, where the floods in 2004 damaged 68 houses, the dam was reconstructed for the money of foreigners. Now the local chairman Basil Gubal annually receives visitors from the European Union.
"Come and see how we exploit it" - proud Gubal. The attention of foreigners to the river has changed and the attitude of local. More recently, the villagers arrange Saturdays - collect garbage along the coast.
His hands
In the mountain village of Nizhny Quick locals enhance the river through the Swiss-Ukrainian organization Forza. In building materials the organization has spent 80 thousand hryvnia. One of the conditions of issue of money was that the villagers should strengthen the bank following the example of Swiss living in such conditions - near fast mountain rivers.
"The design is simple, - says Sergey rates, together with his sons for three weeks stank. - Materials - logs, stone and willow. Layers of stacked logs, a young willow and stone. Verba, grow, strengthening the ties firmly."
A member of Forza Yuri Derbal from Uzhgorod asserts that such structures - one of the cheapest ways to strengthen the banks.
"In Transcarpathia many small mountain villages, to which the government will never reach the hands, the example of the Swiss need to take the initiative themselves," - says Derbal.
Region, the richest in the floods, was more prepared for disasters than others. Largely thanks to grants and aid European neighbors.