International holidays - International Dnieper Day

On the first Saturday of July, an unusual environmental holiday is celebrated - International Dnieper Day The length of this majestic river, sung by many poets and writers, was originally 2285 km Numerous canals, dams and other hydraulic structures have changed the course of the river, and now its length has been reduced to 2201 km The river passes through three Slavic states, which are Russia, Belarus and Ukraine Due to the consumer and thoughtless use of the Dnieper's resources, a number of environmental problems arose that had to be urgently addressed Therefore, several years ago, the Council at the State Water Agency of Ukraine made a proposal to the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, and the authorities of the states through whose territory the Dnieper flows, to appoint an official Dnieper Day, which was planned to be celebrated on July 7 In addition, the Council also put forward a proposal for a joint celebration of Dnieper Day with neighboring countries - Russia and Belarus This holiday is relatively young, it was established only in 2002, and was first celebrated in 2003, but it has not yet received official status; this issue has not been resolved since 2011 While an official decision on this issue is being developed, the holiday is celebrated unofficially on the first Saturday of the second summer month The purpose of the festival is to attract public attention to problems such as water pollution, swamping of parts of water areas, the gradual breakdown of hydraulic structures and, of course, the search for solutions to these environmental problems Celebrations dedicated to this day take place in settlements located along the Dnieper On this day, environmental events are organized, festivals and educational and entertainment events are held Activists carry out educational work among the population, urge people to take care of the environment, not to pollute the coastline during recreation, not to destroy plants, and remind them of the need to pick up trash after themselves and put out fires Everything possible is being done to ensure that not only guests and tourists passing by, but also all people have a beautiful view of this majestic river, and not of the coastline “decorated” with garbage