OREANDA-NEWS. May 24, 2010. Vice Prime Minister Volodymyr Semynozhenko has chaired a meeting on top priority measures pertaining to the investigation into the cases of poising children in the Vinnytsya and Ternopil regions. Participants of the meeting noted that about 50 per cent of decentralized water supply sources, primarily, wells, don’t correspond to the sanitary standards by physical, chemical and microbiologic characteristics.

The laboratory examination of the private wells at the places of residence of the dead babies showed that in both cases the water contained more nitrates than acceptable. It could be a probable cause of their deaths. 

The Vice Prime Minister has charged with accelerating registration of hygienic standards for drinking water in the Ministry of Justice. New standards for the quality of water, particularly, will be taking into account in reforming of housing and communal services and will be mandatory in 5 years. It is planning to increase criteria for the quality of water from 56 to 92 for centralized water supply sources and from 5 to 42 for decentralized ones. In addition, Volodymyr Semynozhenko stressed on the development of a nation-wide information campaign on rules of use of private water sources –wells and capitations.

“Any reform in the health sphere will not be effective until we resolve two main issues – the quality of what people drink and the quality of what people eat”, said the Vice Prime Minister.

According to him, it is necessary to take drastic measures pertaining to the control and quality of foodstuffs spread through trade markets of Ukraine. “The State Standardization Programme for 2010-2015” must be developed till November 2010.