Impact of Urban Land on the Risks of Karst Processes in the NPP Location Area (On the Example of Rivne Npp)

Abstract

The aim of the article is to assess the impact of urbanized areas on the risk of developing karst processes in the area of nuclear power plant location and on the safety of the plant (using the example of the Rivne nuclear power plant). Karst features in the area around the Rivne nuclear power plant were visualized using GIS methods. Systematization of karst hazards was carried out with regard to their impact on the structural integrity and safety of the long-term operation of the Rivne nuclear power plant. The impact of urbanized areas on the geological environment was assessed, and a correlation was established between urbanization factors and the activation of karst-suffusion processes. It is shown that urbanization can contribute to the emergence of karst manifestations and, as a result, to threaten to the safety of NNP. Approaches aimed at improving the assessment of karst hazards, monitoring of the main factors of their activation, and managing urbanized areas to increase the safety of nuclear power plants were proposed.

Methodology for Indicator-Based Assessments of Environmental Hazards in Urbanised Areas: A Case Study of Ukrainian Regions

“…The revealed tendency to increase the area of open karst corresponds to the growth of ecological urbanisation due to the exploitation of natural territorial resources, impoverishment of vegetation, and changes in the feature of land use. The assessment of the impact of urbanised areas on the risk of karst processes in the area of hazardous facilities (using the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) as an example) is shown [ 84 ]. Based on the differentiation of karst threats according to their significance for the safety of the NPP, the most significant types of risks associated with changes in the hydrological regime of soils under the impact of urban areas are proposed.…”