Department of Urban Planning Hygiene and Water Management

The Department was founded in 1931. Over the years, it has been headed by Professors V.I. Palgov, E.S. Lakhno; Doctor of Medical Sciences V.V. Bulgakov, Doctor of Medical Sciences I.S. Kireeva, and Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Valentyna Makhniuk.

Head of the Laboratory – Doctor of Biological Sciences in the specialty “Hygiene and Occupational Pathology” and Senior Researcher, Head of the Academic Integrity Commission of the SI “IPH NAMSU,” international project expert Olesia Zorina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1557-8521)
Tel.: +38(050)93-23-650, e-mail: wateramnu@ukr.net

Main Areas of Scientific Activity:

  • Scientific justification of hygienic requirements and standards for the planning and development of territories, taking into account the directions of reform in the national economic complex, the development of new forms of activity, and changes in the principles of urban planning;
  • Development of a modern methodology for a comprehensive hygienic assessment of the state of the environment and public health for medical-ecological zoning of territories at the national, regional, and local levels, with the aim of substantiating sanitary and hygienic requirements for urban planning;
  • Improvement of the sanitary classification of industrial enterprises and other production facilities, taking into account the implementation of modern technologies and production capacity;
  • Hygienic assessment of new forms of urban development and justification of recommendations regarding the feasibility of implementing them in urban planning practice;
  • Providing a hygienic rationale for requirements regarding the planning of resort and recreational areas and health facilities in the current context of the recreational industry’s development;
  • Improving sanitary legislation and the regulatory and methodological framework in the field of hygiene for the planning and development of populated areas, industrial zones, and resort and recreational areas;
  • Scientific sanitary and epidemiological review of district planning schemes and projects, city master plans, and projects for the siting and construction of residential, industrial, resort and recreational, and municipal facilities, etc.
  • Scientific foundations of hygienic safety in water use. Development of scientifically sound measures to prevent and eliminate the impact of hazardous factors in the aquatic environment on human health.
  • Scientific justification for the application of approaches, products, and technologies to preserve or improve water quality.
  • Scientific support for the implementation in Ukraine of innovative technologies to minimize the negative impact of water-related factors on human health and an integrated national information system on water quality.
  • Analysis of the effectiveness of water and sanitation measures to prevent the emergence and spread of infectious and non-infectious diseases.
  • Development of algorithms for making public health management decisions to ensure the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population and eliminate risks to human health posed by water-related factors, particularly under martial law and other types of emergencies.
  • Scientific justification and development of proposals to improve strategic directions and the legislative and regulatory framework with the aim of implementing European water legislation in Ukraine and safeguarding human life and health.

Most Significant Scientific Achievements:

  • The department’s scientific research is aimed at addressing the most pressing sanitary and hygienic issues in urban and rural construction, the improvement of settlements, and regional land-use planning, taking into account the development of industry, the resort and recreation sector, and environmental protection.
  • The department addresses complex issues related to the sanitary and hygienic justification of measures for comprehensive territorial schemes for nature conservation and schemes for the development and location of productive forces (in the Donetsk district of Zaporizhzhia), the general territorial planning scheme for Ukraine, and the master plan for the city of Kyiv for the period up to 2020; and has investigated the hygienic effectiveness of implementing master plans for a number of industrial cities in Ukraine.
  • Hygienic recommendations have been substantiated for optimizing population density indicators in residential areas of a large city and planning restrictions for city streets with varying traffic intensities; hygienic requirements have been developed for the location of small-scale enterprises in various manufacturing sectors and the sizes of their sanitary protection zones; and normative sanitary protection zones for gas well drilling sites and wind power plants have been substantiated.
  • A significant part of the department’s scientific output involves participation in the development of regulatory and methodological documents.

The department’s specialists have participated in scientific research, the results of which have been published on:

  • current issues in the field of surface water protection;
  • the condition of the Dnipro River and the main approaches to treating its water at water treatment plants under current conditions;
  • a hygienic assessment of the main approaches to the use of chlorine dioxide at water treatment plants in Ukraine that rely on surface sources for drinking water supply;
  • the development of Sanitary and Epidemiological Norms and Rules (DSanPiN) regarding drinking water quality under “peacetime” and “wartime” conditions.

Based on the scientific research conducted and with the aim of implementing the requirements of European water legislation, proposals have been prepared for orders of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine:

  • On the Approval of Hygienic Standards for Bathing Water Quality;
  • On the Approval of Amendments to the State Sanitary Norms and Rules “Hygienic Requirements for Drinking Water Intended for Human Consumption” and Amendments to the State Sanitary Norms and Rules “Safety Indicators and Selected Quality Indicators for Drinking Water under Martial Law and Other Emergency Situations.”