Than Thousand Fishermen Protest In Homel Region

Residents of Zhytkavichy district are protesting against transferring Lake Chyrvonaye to the ownership of the national park.

Since, only the elite and, as the locals say, high guests will be able to fish and hunt there, Belsat writes.

For the residents of Zhytkavichy and the surrounding villages, Lake Chyrvonaye is the place where they grew up, they used to fish and hunt ducks there for generations. However, soon the largest natural waterbody in Homel region and the territory adjacent to it, within a radius of three kilometers, may pass into the ownership of the Prypiatski national park.

Local resident Viachaslau Sehlin says:

“If earlier we at least had to pay for it, but we went hunting and fishing, now there is no one to pay to. As they said: this is not yours, this is all ours.”

Two thirds of the lake belonging to tenants, the Zhytkavichy forestry and the Zhytkavichkhimservis joint stock company, are still available for people. The rest, along with a part of the forest, belongs to the property of the national park already. There’s a fence there, and the entrance is forbidden.

“We appeal to the national park: return the territory to the district! And give the opportunity to the district to dispose the land as it deems appropriate. Because the national park wants to take these lands for its development, and what about the district? It needs development as well, doesn’t it?”

“They allowed only two hunts in 2018. Two. The rest of the Zhytkavichy forestry allowed 600 hunts. Why do they need the whole lake then? And then, Mr. Bambiza hunted – that was the first time, and the second time – Igor Mamenko, the humorist from Russia. That’s all,” – the locals say.

Stsiapan Bambiza is the director of the Prypiatski National Park and a person close to the highest authorities of Belarus. His brother, Mikalai, used to be the head of Belavezhskaya Pushcha, and his cousin Ivan headed Belnautakhim and worked as Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus. Environmentalists criticized Stsiapan’s activities at the post for deforestation. The locals doubt that Stsiapan Bambiza will take care of the environment, too.

“Som, pike perch, zherekh, carp! Where is such a big fish in the store? There's no. Where will it go? Now he wants to take the lake, he took a look: there are a lot of fishermen here.”

“I myself am from Turau Yas, I see it very well. How does it happen? In the spring ... they catch it with nets... if pike perch carries eggs. The reserve – they are taking fish away by trucks. They can do anything, we can do nothing!”, – the locals are outraged.

The locals consider the transfer of the land and the lake to the national park to be a raider seizure, as only the VIP people will take advantage of it. Hunting license cost in the Prypiatski national park is many times higher than the earnings of the peasants. Therefore, up to now, mostly only wealthy foreigners were coming there. We asked the park officials whether people could walk freely near the lake when it becomes the territory of the national park.

We talk with Volha Prykhodzka, the deputy general director for the ideology of the national park Prypiatski:

– Do you know who decides on this issue?

– Who, tell me?

– A superior organization.

– What organization?

– We are not the superior organization. Where did people appeal to?

– Where? In the administration of the “president”?

– Yes!

The local residents sent the petition with more than a thousand signatures to the Lukashenka's administration at the beginning of the year. And they received the answer that the authorities would try to take into account the wishes of the residents. However, the local people no longer believe these promises.