Issues of compliance with environmental and land legislation require constant attention from prosecutors

Constant attention from prosecutors is required for issues of environmental and land legislation enforcement. This year, 100 inspections have been organized in these areas, resulting in 367 response acts and 504 individuals held accountable for disciplinary, administrative, and material liability.

Due to the large number of water bodies in the region, Vitebsk Oblast is rightfully called the "Land of Blue Lakes," and issues of compliance with legislation on the protection of water resources from pollution are a priority in prosecutorial activities.

In accordance with the provisions of the new Water Code of the Republic of Belarus, which has entered into force, livestock farms and complexes located in water protection zones must be equipped with devices and structures that prevent the pollution and silting of waters.

Meanwhile, as inspections have shown, many of these facilities not only fail to meet these legislative requirements due to the absence of devices and structures preventing water body pollution but are also maintained in an improper condition. Adequate measures are not taken for the timely removal of organic matter from the territories of farms and complexes and for the diking of its storage sites, which leads to runoff onto adjacent land and creates a real threat of water body pollution. Furthermore, the territories of these agro-industrial facilities are often contaminated with household and construction waste, and the remains of deceased farm animals.

Similar facts were identified at State Enterprise "Plissy-Agro," CJSC "ASB Agro-Novator" of Beshenkovichi District, State Enterprise "Vidzovsky," OJSC "Druysky," OJSC "Olshanka" of Braslav District, Agricultural Production Cooperative "Smoliany," OJSC "Zadrovye," OJSC "Orshansky Rayagropromservis" of Orsha District, State Enterprise "AgroBerenevka," OJSC "Barsuchanka" of Dokshitsy District, OJSC "Komsomolskaya Pravda," OJSC "Oboltsy" of Tolochin District, OJSC "Sinegorskoye," OJSC "Sennensky Rayagropromservis" of Senno District, OJSC "Uzmionsky Kray," OJSC "Gvardeysky" of Miory District, OJSC "Barseevo," OJSC "Rubizhnitsa," OJSC "Malkovo" of Liozno District.

rayon, OJSC "Pridvinsky", KUSKhP "Ullsky", OJSC "Lovzhanskoye" of Shumilino rayon, as well as in other agricultural organizations.

In order to eliminate violations of the law, more than 70 acts of prosecutorial supervision were sent to the heads of enterprises and executive committees, and over 100 individuals were brought to administrative and disciplinary responsibility.

Issues of compliance with legislation on the protection and use of land remain relevant. Inspections conducted this year have revealed numerous shortcomings in the operation of mini-landfills for the disposal of solid municipal waste, which ultimately negatively affects the condition of the land.

These mini-landfills, serviced by local housing and communal services organizations, are often maintained and operated in violation of sanitary, hygienic, and environmental requirements. Cases of pollution of access roads to mini-landfills and adjacent lands with waste, and disorderly storage of waste throughout the mini-landfill area, outside its working cell, are common. At the same time, proper control by the servicing organizations over the condition of the mini-landfills has not been established everywhere.

Such violations were identified in Vitebsk, Braslav, Glubokoye, Miory, Tolochin, Ushachi, Shumilino districts, and other regions, in connection with which prosecutors have taken appropriate response measures and raised the issue of holding the perpetrators accountable.

At the same time, local authorities, whose competence, in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On Waste Management," includes ensuring the operation of municipal waste disposal facilities in accordance with the requirements of the legislation, should not remain aloof from these problems.

Senior Assistant Prosecutor of the Region for Supervision of Environmental Legislation Enforcement
Elena Kozlova