People built over five hundred illegal private private piers on a popular reservoir
Over 500 illegal piers have been discovered on the Chyhirynskaye Reservoir in the Bykhaw district. Fences, jetties with locks, and structures on piles have been built along the banks, preventing people from freely accessing the water. The prosecutor's office demanded the removal of fences and the demolition of dilapidated piers, CTV reports .
The inspection was carried out by the prosecutor's office and the Mahilioŭ Regional Inspectorate for Wildlife Protection. According to senior state inspector Aliaksandr Saveliev, jetties have been erected near all settlements along the reservoir's banks, and their number increases every year.
However, local authorities have not issued permits for the construction of such facilities since 2011.
The piers have become a source of disputes between vacationers and their owners. Conflicts arise especially often in summer when people try to walk along the shore or fish from a pier.
Almost every pier has a sign with the owner's phone number. Among fishermen, it is customary to call the owner in advance and ask for permission to fish. Some of the piers, apparently, are rented out: next to the phone number, it is indicated that the price is negotiable.
However, access to many such structures is impossible: they have gates with locks. This directly violates the Water Code, which guarantees free access to public water bodies.
The Mahilioŭ Regional Prosecutor's Office demanded that the regional executive committee prevent the construction of new piers without appropriate documents, remove fences, ensure free access to water, and demolish dilapidated moorings.
Similar violations were found during inspections in the Brest and Vitsebsk regions. Dzmitry Bryliou, head of the General Prosecutor's Office department, suggested reporting cases of restricted access to water bodies to territorial prosecutor's offices.