Transboundary rivers of Ukraine: perspectives for sustainable development and clean water

ABSTRACT Transboundary river basins are responsible for over half of the global river discharges and accommodate 40% of the global population. Ukraine is part of the four large transboundary rivers that flow through more than ten European countries and experience pollution problems because of human activities in up-and downstream areas. The Ukrainian government calls for actions to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) and integrate the European Union water legislation. This paper discusses five sustainable development perspectives for Ukraine to reduce pollution in transboundary rivers. These perspectives relate to (1) transitions from administrative river management (before 2017) to river basin management (after 2017) to enhance cooperation between countries, (2) interdisciplinary and (3) transdisciplinary research to better understand the causes and effects of river pollution and explore solutions, (4) innovation and modernization of water-related infrastructures and (5) the societal awareness. Future research could focus on the example of Ukraine and the adoption of these five perspectives to support the formulation of solutions to achieve SDG6 and support the sustainable basin management of transboundary rivers and the integration of European Union water legislation. Graphical abstract