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Coke Hellenic calls for action and cross-water cooperation
Two Nations: Divided by a river: United by a common cause. In the true spirit of international co-operation, hundreds of young volunteers from the Ukraine and neighbouring Romania have been working together to tackle pollution on both banks of the River Tisza which separates the two countries.
Social, political and other differences were put aside for the mutual benefits of cleaning up the Tisza, a tributary of the Danube, and educating residents in many towns and villages of their responsibility to protect their waterways from contamination. Their efforts, typical of many similar schemes throughout the Danube basin, culminated in the celebrations to mark Danube Day 2010, which itself comes in the wake of recent flooding disasters that devastated much of central Europe and left thousands of people homeless. Damage is estimated at many millions of dollars.
For the last five years, Coca-Cola Hellenic in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River have supported, assisted and funded numerous key projects and strategies to safeguard the river and its tributaries from the further impacts of climate change and pollution.
The Tisza project exemplifies those efforts and the unique cooperation between residents on both sides, the Ukraine and Romania, endorse just what can be achieved. Jens Rupp, Coca-Cola Hellenic’s sustainability manager, pointed out: “During heavy rainfalls, as much as 317 tons of rubbish could find their way into the river in just a single week, and all of it unnecessary and easily preventable with a little thought and education. So it is vital that we add our support to local communities and encourage them to work together to tackle this problem.”
To emphasise this need for international co-operation, Coca-Cola Hellenic management in the Ukraine supported the idea of carrying a huge Danube Day flag through 14 countries. And on 27 June the flag was hauled across the Tisza from Ukraine to Romania. Political and legal constraints meant that the teams on both sides of the river had only hours to plan and implement the complex operation.
Leading up to the event, a workshop led by the United Nations Development Programme was organised for both Ukrainians and Romanians called “Selected Measures for Integrated Land and Water Management in Upper Tisza”. Topics included everything from wastewater treatment and flood control to reforestation and reducing pollution. A key element is an extensive education programme for young people. In the Zakarpattya region of the Ukraine, two hundred children and their teachers from seven schools have been actively involved in a number of different schemes. These included clean-up and tree-planting programmes and learning about the importance of preserving water resources. This culminated with a day of celebrations in the tiny village of Dilove which was specifically chosen because it is located at the very centre of Europe on the border of the Ukraine and Romania.
Despite the remote location, many of the thousands of visitors travelled as far as 150 kilometres to take part. Events included a children’s talent competition with an environmental theme and a Danube Art Master Class for which prizes were awarded. Andriy Bublyk, governmental and communications manager for Coca-Cola Beverages Ukraine, said that the event, held in glorious sunshine, had been a tremendous success. “What we have seen here today is a willingness to get involved by dedicated volunteers who will actively pursue a number of ongoing initiatives.
“Last year for example we provided a number of large waste containers at Velyki Bychkiv so that local people could deposit the kind of materials that had been clogging up the river banks, not only causing pollution but also resulting in flooding.”
He went on: “The highlight of this year’s Danube Day has been the co-operative efforts on both sides of the Tisza, working together to protect the river for future generations. “Obviously there are cultural and political differences between Ukrainians and Romanians even though they are just a few hundred metres apart on either side of the river. Yet all of this was put aside to achieve a mutual benefit.
“This is perhaps a unique example of international co-operation which I hope will become a model for others to follow on a more frequent basis in the future.”
Source: Coca-Cola Hellenic
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