Prosecutors of the Specialized Environmental and Mykolaiv District Prosecutor's Offices returned over 150 hectares of fish farming ponds in the floodplain of the Southern Bug River to the Novoodeska territorial community, which had been drained by an unscrupulous tenant for planting crops.

It was established that since 2019, the entrepreneur had been using the leased land plot with the ponds located on it not for its intended purpose, but for growing agricultural products under the guise of their summering (rehabilitation).

Since the non-target use of the land contradicts the terms of the lease agreement and the requirements of land and water legislation, as well as leads to negative environmental consequences, the prosecutor filed a lawsuit in court to terminate the lease agreement and return the disputed land plot.

The first-instance court denied the claim, but the appellate court annulled the decision of the first-instance court and ruled to satisfy the claim in full.

The appellate court stated that the tenant had failed to fulfill the obligation regarding the targeted use of the water fund land plot and ensuring the preservation of the land plot and water bodies on it, and ordered the entrepreneur to return the land plot to the community.

The proper execution of the court decision in this case is under the control of the Mykolaiv District Prosecutor's Office.

For reference: fish farming ponds are artificial water bodies for fish cultivation, usually covering an area of 100 to 150 hectares and having an average depth of 1.3 to 2.2 meters. They have significant ecological importance as they contribute to the preservation of wetland ecosystems, support biodiversity, accumulate water, and can perform a natural purification function.