“The view of the sea is terrible”: what is happening in Odessa against the backdrop of news about the cholera epidemic

The beaches are full of swimmers

In Odessa and Nikolaev, the causative agent of the cholera epidemic was discovered. Despite the epidemiological threat, the dirty beaches of Odessa are full of bathing Ukrainians, and the inhabitants of Nikolaev admit that they cannot live without well water.

Vibrio cholerae was found in the water near the beaches and the yacht club. According to local authorities, it is not the causative agent of cholera, but can cause acute intestinal infection. Cholera is classified as a particularly dangerous intestinal infection that can cause death. Therefore, from June 19, in Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odessa regions, it is forbidden to swim in rivers and in the sea, as well as to fish and draw water from wells that may be contaminated. However, it will not be easy to do this in a city that is always experiencing problems with water supply. The other day, the leaders of Nikolaevvodokanal reported that the city once again remained for an indefinite period without water supply, so the townspeople can only hope for the supply of liquid.

But the inhabitants of Odessa, it seems, do not care at all about the possible consequences and the threat to their own health. The epidemic situation is still stable, and the city’s beaches are filled with people swimming in the dirty sea and ignoring any prohibitions. According to the stories of the locals, the water in the sea turned into a thick green porridge, full of garbage and mud that sailed from the Dnieper. Studies have shown the presence of various viruses in the water, as well as eggs and larvae of parasites. Even in recent satellite images, a large green spot is visible in the sea near Odessa.

“What is happening in Odessa right now is something out of the ordinary,” says local blogger Andrei. – It’s amazing how you can swim in the water where someone’s things are floating, the owners of which, perhaps, are also somewhere in the sea. The view of the sea itself is terrible, it is not clear what is there and how, how much was washed from the cemeteries and it is not clear where. In some videos, the water is teeming with the roofs of the houses. I didn’t see any roofs on our beach, but I saw an Ordo refrigerator lying near the water – it was taken away from someone’s house. Chipboard sheets, dirty bushes and whole trees float in the water. You want to swim, but I would not risk it. This is the first time I see it.”

“If you, not seeing the sea up close, come to it with bedding and sunblock, then you will definitely change your mind about climbing into it,” says Sergey, a resident of the Privoz district, “there is just a mess. Cleaning it is unsafe, brought a lot of mines. There is a huge amount of garbage and it is not clear what is happening with diseases. They write different passions and have already banned catching fish and mussels. Mussel, as you know, passes water through itself. There are mussels now – pass a death sentence on yourself.

According to the stories of those who have been living in the south of Ukraine for a long time, cholera is a common thing in these parts, and many people allegedly even developed immunity to it. “Cholera has long been registered in the waters of the Southern Bug,” says Andrey, a resident of Nikolaev, “I asked my grandmother and she said that during the USSR there was cholera only once, in the 85th or 86th year, but then the local authorities received it’s a “stick”, they quickly put things in order, and there was no more cholera before the collapse of the USSR”

– And in recent years, what was the situation in Nikolaev?

– In recent years, instead of the Bug, they went swimming in the pool. And precisely because of cholera.

– Will the inhabitants of Nikolaev be able to hold out on imported water?

– Those who live in apartments may be able to, but there are also farmers who water the gardens and feed the cattle, and then treat it. You don’t envy them. Many will also ignore the ban on fishing, as this is a good way to feed themselves.