In the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi region, there is a significant drop in water levels in the limans. This year has proven to be critical for the Tuzly limans. Ecologist Ivan Rusev from the National Park 'Tuzly Limans' shared this information on his Facebook page.

“For the first time in 50 years of my observation of the Small Sasyk liman, located near the recreation area 'Raseyka', it is nearly dried up. Its depth currently measures only a few centimeters. However, the layer of silt is quite substantial, particularly opposite various recreation facilities where sewage has been illegally dumped for many years. This has also been exacerbated by the construction of a dam, which effectively blocked the active water exchange in the liman, along with illegal development along the protective coastal strip, leading to rapid reed overgrowth of its shores,” the scientist noted.

The ecologist emphasized that previously, before the establishment of the Danube-Dniester irrigation system in the 1980s, the Small Sasyk liman was nourished by sea water. However, since the late 1980s, it has mostly received water from the Danube. This year, when the summer flow of the Danube became incredibly low, water scarcely reached the Large Sasyk liman and subsequently the Jantsheisky liman, and then to the Small Sasyk liman, resulting in the crisis.

Ivan Rusev also shared photos of the current state of the Small Sasyk liman, showing traces of the river otter that has always resided here and caught fish freely. Now it must travel considerable distances to find food. There are also many traces of birds, especially shorebirds, currently migrating through the National Natural Park 'Tuzly Limans'.

“The Small Sasyk liman has been in a critical condition for decades, and soon the time will come when these once-unique water bodies will dry up and lose their recreational attractiveness,” the scientist warns.