Ternopil citizens advised not to drink tapped water

Citizens of Chortkov city (Ternopil region) are not recommended to drink tapped water, because the level of nitrates in the water supplying river Seret is above the norm by tens of times, director of the civil protection department of the Emergencies Ministry of Ukraine Vasyl Kvashuk told a briefing, ForUm correspondent reports.

The official informed that on May 10th night unknown chemicals were disposed into the sewage system of the city, most probably, by the Ternopil dairy plant or by the textiles enterprise. "The chemicals washed out active sludge from the treatment facilities and unfiltered waste got into the river and then to the city water supply system," Kvashuk said.

According to him, two weeks are needed to restore biological agents in treatment facilities. "People of Chortkov drink now water from the wells, and the emergencies department has organized mass import of drinking water into the city," the official summed up.