Historically, Belarusian towns and cities appeared mostly on riverbanks. However, as concepts of natural processes developed and technologies advanced, urban settlements began to move away from the Earth’s ’blue capillaries’. Cities emerged in locations that were convenient from the logistical, and sometimes military viewpoint. Nature, in turn, confronted settlers with swamps and river floodplains, all demanding development. Finally, mankind has always been dependent upon water. Thus far, underground water reserves have become part of the city’s essential services, but this has not always been the case.

ULADZIMIR ZUJEU holds a PhD in political sciences and is an expert in the fields of ecology, sustainable development, and urban economy. His experience encompasses leading and contributing expertise to public and academic projects concerned with sustainable development, hydrology, and urban studies. In 2004-2023, he was a lecturer at the Baranavichy State University. In 1997-2022, he chaired the ’Nerush’ environmental NGO. Since 2023, he has presided over the Board of the ’Nerush Natura’ foundation.

E-mail: nerush.ec@gmail.com

Introduction

During the catastrophic flooding in southwestern Poland in October 2024, cities remained submerged for days, transport links were disrupted, and recovery efforts are expected to take considerable time. The flooding reminded that water can be not only a resource, but also a challenge for urban areas. It can change the plans of urban planners and the lives of citizens.

Belarusian cities are also increasingly contending with unusual levels of rainfall and groundwater flooding. Nevertheless, in Belarus the relationship between water and urban life rarely makes the agenda, despite historical roots in climate, economy, culture, and mobility.

With that in mind, I will try to examine the role of water in the development of my native town of Baranavichy. This example appears particularly interesting because Baranavichy is the largest town in Belarus not located on a river. At the same time, its history is inextricably linked with water.

Baranavichy is a town of national importance with high socio-economic potential. In terms of population, it ranks eighth, preceded by the country’s capital, regional centers, and Babrujsk.

Baranavichy’s history begins with its mention as a manor and village in 1706, while its transformation into a town began with the construction of a railway station in 1871, which lay the foundation for its growth. At the end of the nineteenth century, the Staryja and Novyja Baranavichy merged into one urban settlement. In the 1960s and 1970s, the town experienced industrial growth, including the creation of a cotton mill.

Today, Baranavichy is a major industrial and cultural center with a population of over 170,000, situated along the trans-European E-2 corridor. The town lies on the Baranavichy Plain, with an elevation ranging from 173 to 208 meters, covering an area of 84.96 square kilometers.

Moved by Railways, Shaped by Human Intelligence

What makes Baranavichy special is that it is one of the few medium-sized towns in Belarus not situated on a river. Although the Shchara and Myshanka rivers flow nearby, the town developed between them, which at times posed challenges for water supply.

For instance, the Baranavichy station on the Bierascie-Moscow Railway, built in 1871, faced constant water shortages. To supply water to the Baranavichy station on the Vilno— Rivne (Palessie) railway, opened in 1884, a nearly 2-kilometer water supply system had to be laid from the nearby Zhlobin Lake.

In the town of Razvadava, which emerged between railway stations, the profession of water carrier was among the most profitable, and wells there were quite deep. The issue of centralized water supply in Baranavichy was addressed only in the post-war period. In the early 1950s, household and drinking water supply was ensured through mine wells mostly, while enterprises generally relied on institutionalized artesian wells. Numerous streets and facilities lacked water supply, including buildings of the regional executive committee, mechanical repair plant, garment factory, food trade, drama theater, etc.

In 1951, the town’s population totalled 42,431. The city’s drinking water came from 1,219 mine wells, the condition of which did not always meet sanitary standards. In 65 wells, the water was unusable, 43 wells required urgent cleaning and repair, and most wells did not have public buckets. The town’s condition was unsatisfactory from a fire-fighting point of view as well.

Baranavichy’s need for water utilities was most urgent. Nevertheless, the centralized water supply began to gradually expand only after the establishment of Vodakanaltrest in 1958. Construction of the Valakhva water intake began in 1961. In 1975, work started on Shchara-1, with a capacity of 24,000 cubic meters per day. Shchara-2 followed in 1988, with its first stage completed in 1992 and the second in 1994. Simultaneously, power supply shortages led to rationing of household water supply. The cumbersome multi-purpose structure of communal services hindered development of the town’s water supply system. It was not until 1997, with the introduction of the third stage of the Shchara-2 water intake, that the long-standing issue of rationed water supply for residents was resolved.

Currently, Baranavichy enjoys high-quality drinking water extracted from 73 artesian wells, 230 to 280 meters deep, tapping into protected Upper Proterozoic horizons that date back hundreds of millions of years. Water like this is located under younger dense rocks, which minimize the penetration of liquids and pollution from the surface. It makes the water from such horizons cleaner and chemically stable. At the moment the main street network of the Baranavichy water pipeline is 459 kilometers long.

Surface water is used to facilitate technical water supply for a certain part of the town’s industrial enterprises. This water is sourced from a reservoir specially built in 1985 on the Shchara River near the village of Minichy in the Liakhavichy rayon, 20 kilometers from the town. Its main consumer is the cotton production unit. The demand of other enterprises for technical water is satisfied using this additional intake as well. The design capacity of this intake was up to 2.15 million cubic meters/year, however, since the 2000s the actual water consumption has fallen to 1 million cubic meters/year due to reduced production volumes.

Even a quick glance at the maps of Baranavichy before the mid-1960s shows that the main development of the urban area took place south of the Berascie — Moscow railway and partly east of the Luninets -Lida highway.

Although the 1952 town master plan was never realized, the influence of hydrological and hydrogeological conditions — water on the surface and underground — on Baranavichy’s development remains evident. North of the city, around the villages of Sviatsilavichy, Anisimavichy, and Antonava (now within the town’s limits), there was once a swampy expanse with small lakes draining into the Myshanka River near the village of Kazliakevichy. Up until the 1960s local residents mined peat for fuel here. This area was not considered for town expansion roughly until the 1970s.

What is presently the area of Industryjalnaja — Kirava — Praletarskaja streets (locals often call it ‘the swamp’) used to be a swampy area connected to the valley of the Shchara River near the villages of Novy Svet and Skarchava. In the post-war period, this area was rather used as a landfill.

The 1952 master plan envisaged a 65-hectare forest park on the site of the swampy Zhlobin Lake water intake, recognizing that building multi-story structures or industrial facilities there would be challenging, if not impossible. Despite its location on the outskirts of what then was downtown, designers tried to compensate for the lost natural areas and stabilize the urban microclimate through creation of a forest park.

However, plans have not changed much since the Soviet era.

*Figure 2. The Baranavichy master plan of 1952*

Baranavichy in Soviet Times and in Independent Belarus

In 1960, in the town’s northeastern part , the construction of the Baranavichy factory began, which by 1969 was surrounded by an industrial and residential area with appropriate infrastructure. However, there was not enough water for both the plant and the residents, who had to rely on rationed water supply. For a time, the enterprise relied on the Zhlobin Lake as its water source, but as the lake gradually shallowed, an additional pipeline was constructed and connected to the Minichy Reservoir.

In 1971, construction of an automation line plant began north of the town. Soon after, residential buildings started to emerge nearby, in the area north of the Sviatsilausk Lake. Part of the residential buildings in the microdistrict, which was later named ’Paunochny’, within the floodplain territory of Sviatsilausk Lake, had to be strengthened to ensure durability of structures. The water intake area changed significantly: paved roads were laid, and the original relief was smoothed.

*Figure 3. View of the ’Paunochny’ residential area*

Nowadays, the area of the Sviatsilausk Lake is about 9 hectares. In the latter half of the 20th century, the lake began to overgrow rapidly. With housing development starting on a sandy hill to its north, the lake basin was cleared of silt deposits in the 1980s, and its shoreline was reshaped.

*Figure 4. Clearing of the Sviatsilausk Lake in the 1980s.*

Later, in the noughties, two artificial islands were created. In fact, that turned the reservoir into a lake-like pond that consisted of two non-contiguous parts separated by a canal, also isolated from the lake through lowering the water level.

The water intake in the lake’s vicinity includes most of the ’Severny’ microdistrict populated by circa 45 thousand people. Runoff from the water intake area carries biogenic materials and pollutants into the lake, significantly reducing its water quality. Additionally, rainwater collected by the storm sewer network on Zhukov Street is diverted from the lake to urban wastewater treatment plants.

In 1985, a housing development design for the construction of the fourth ’Uskhodni’ microdistrict was elaborated. It still bears the name of its central street — ’Parkavaja’. The floodplain of the rivulet that once carried water from the Zhlobin Lake to the Shchara River was also developed for construction. Already in 1986, development of the virgin area around the lake began. However, buildings were erected on piled foundations only.

Part of this territory is a former modified floodplain channel, the soils of which could not withstand the load of residential buildings. Using piled foundations allows the building’s weight to be transferred to harder, load-bearing layers located deeper below the surface. Draining the floodplain does not fully alter its soil structure, leaving high humidity and instability of soils that necessitate additional measures to ensure building stability. Construction on the piles is performed with account of these factors and the soil characteristics.

Construction of this microdistrict led to the isolation of the water intake area of the Zhlobin Lake and its transformation into a drainless reservoir.

The town grew, and individual residential development emerged. The town authorities’ general plans introduced the idea of repurposing the former swamp, believed to be drained, for housing development. This is how the construction of modern Razvadouskaja Street began. But in rainy and snowy years, the former swamp ’recalled’ its original purpose and filled with water, flooding the basements of newly built houses. Lengthy correspondence between affected citizens and authorities eventually led to a decision to reconstruct the drainage network and build a pumping station to lower the groundwater level.

*Figure 5. General view of the Razvadauskaya Street area*

Hydrogeological legacy is also evident in the new ’Dubava’ individual construction microdistrict, partially situated on the drained floodplain of the rivulet that, until the 1980s, carried runoff from Zhlobin Lake. Most local water pumps and wells contain water with high iron levels, which requires special purification before use.

Water is one of the most important factors affecting urban construction and the lives of citizens, which is very well exemplified by the Baranavichy case. Although this town cannot boast a major river, its development and planning were directly dependent on water resources and their availability. Historically, the drinking water supply issue required complex solutions, such as the creation of water intakes and introduction of water supply systems. In its turn, water supply influenced the location of industrial facilities, residential areas, and even development principles.

Water shortages hampered industrial development, and supply issues for residents persisted until the late 20th century, when new technologies enabled an increase in water production.

Swampy and floodplain areas of the town often posed challenges for development, leading to drainage issues and flooding that demanded additional resources and infrastructure solutions.

Thus, water, even if it does not take the shape of a major river, can significantly affect urban development plans. It is not only a vital natural resource but also a key factor that shapes urban infrastructure, environment, and living conditions. Thus, Baranavichy exemplifies how hydrological and hydrogeological conditions influence urban development, shaping cityscapes and necessitating ongoing interaction between humans and the environment, while anticipating potential future challenges.