Odesa Resident Faces Charges for Illegal 0.3-Hectare Reservoir

A resident of the Stryukivska community in the Berezivskyi district of Odesa region was served a notice of suspicion of illegal appropriation of the surface (soil) layer of water fund lands on a particularly large scale.

According to the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa Oblast, the head of the Stryukiv ATC appealed to law enforcement officers and reported that someone had illegally seized a land plot on the left bank of the Tiligul River behind one of the villages of the community, where they had dug a reservoir.

While establishing the circumstances of the incident, officers of the territorial police unit found out that a 44-year-old local resident was involved. Without any permits, he dug a lake on the water fund lands owned by the community to breed fish for his own needs.

To do this, the man rented an excavator and hired an employee whom he assured that he had legal grounds for dredging.

By his illegal actions, the offender seized the surface layer of the water fund with a volume of 8,652 cubic meters, creating an artificial water body with a total area of 0.3 hectares.

If his guilt is proven, the man faces a fine of one thousand to three thousand tax-free minimum incomes, or probationary supervision for up to three years, or restraint of liberty for the same term, with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years.

This is not the first time an artificial lake has been created without permits in Odesa Oblast. In February, in Bolhrad district, police brought to court the case of a farmer who illegally created an artificial reservoir to irrigate his field. In September last year, a 37-year-old resident of the Budzhatska community used special equipment to dig a pond near the Chiligider River and fill it with its waters.

Кирило Бойко