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Pripyat Polesie hydraulic structures slated for reconstruction to improve water flow
05/07/2026 11:07
MINSK, 5 July (BelTA) - Hydraulic engineering structures in the Pripyat Polesie region are set to undergo reconstruction, Ruslan Moroz, the head of the Maritime and River Transport Department at the Transport and Communications Ministry of Belarus, said in an interview with BelTA on the occasion of Water Transport Workers’ Day, celebrated on the first Sunday of July.
“The global trend of declining water levels in all surface water bodies has not spared our country either. This will continue unless we intervene in natural processes. This is why Belarusian river workers are closely cooperating with scientific organizations and basin councils, which are tasked with responding promptly to natural challenges,” Ruslan Moroz said.
The government has approved a program for the development of the Pripyat Polesie regions for 2025-2030. It includes measures for the drastic improvement of navigable conditions, with a target of maintaining depths of at least 2.5 meters for 60% of the navigation period.
“They include the construction of hydraulic engineering facilities to ensure an optimal water regime for the Pripyat River. Reconstruction is also planned for the structures along the eastern slope of the Dnieper-Bug Canal. The implementation of these measures will help address the issue of insufficient water levels and provide the conditions necessary for the operation of large vessels that require greater depths,” Ruslan Moroz explained.
The total length of the country’s inland waterways is approximately 2,143 kilometers, of which 1,260 kilometers have guaranteed navigable dimensions. They are located in three distinct river basins: the Dnieper (which includes the Dnieper, Berezina, Sozh, Pripyat, and Goryn rivers), the Western Dvina, and the Neman (which also includes the Augustów Canal). The inland waterway network also encompasses the Dnieper-Bug Canal, which stretches 244 kilometers and connects the Mukhavets River (Brest) with the Pripyat (Pinsk) and the Svisloch (Minsk).
The experience of operating inland waterways on certain sections of the Pripyat, Mukhavets, and Pina rivers and also the Dnieper-Bug Canal confirms the high efficiency of the previously implemented cascading system. Hydraulic structures such as dams and locks have made it possible to significantly increase the dimensions of the inland waterways in Brest Oblast and stabilize the water level regime of their flows from the Trishin hydroelectric complex in Brest to the Stakhovo hydroelectric complex in Stolin District of Brest Oblast.
On these sections, inland water transport consistently carries out cargo shipping operations with high profitability achieved through maximum load utilization and the highest tonne-kilometer performance indicators for transported goods.
“The global trend of declining water levels in all surface water bodies has not spared our country either. This will continue unless we intervene in natural processes. This is why Belarusian river workers are closely cooperating with scientific organizations and basin councils, which are tasked with responding promptly to natural challenges,” Ruslan Moroz said.
The government has approved a program for the development of the Pripyat Polesie regions for 2025-2030. It includes measures for the drastic improvement of navigable conditions, with a target of maintaining depths of at least 2.5 meters for 60% of the navigation period.“They include the construction of hydraulic engineering facilities to ensure an optimal water regime for the Pripyat River. Reconstruction is also planned for the structures along the eastern slope of the Dnieper-Bug Canal. The implementation of these measures will help address the issue of insufficient water levels and provide the conditions necessary for the operation of large vessels that require greater depths,” Ruslan Moroz explained.
The total length of the country’s inland waterways is approximately 2,143 kilometers, of which 1,260 kilometers have guaranteed navigable dimensions. They are located in three distinct river basins: the Dnieper (which includes the Dnieper, Berezina, Sozh, Pripyat, and Goryn rivers), the Western Dvina, and the Neman (which also includes the Augustów Canal). The inland waterway network also encompasses the Dnieper-Bug Canal, which stretches 244 kilometers and connects the Mukhavets River (Brest) with the Pripyat (Pinsk) and the Svisloch (Minsk).
The experience of operating inland waterways on certain sections of the Pripyat, Mukhavets, and Pina rivers and also the Dnieper-Bug Canal confirms the high efficiency of the previously implemented cascading system. Hydraulic structures such as dams and locks have made it possible to significantly increase the dimensions of the inland waterways in Brest Oblast and stabilize the water level regime of their flows from the Trishin hydroelectric complex in Brest to the Stakhovo hydroelectric complex in Stolin District of Brest Oblast.
On these sections, inland water transport consistently carries out cargo shipping operations with high profitability achieved through maximum load utilization and the highest tonne-kilometer performance indicators for transported goods.