described as greenish with an unpleasant smell. This follows a Soviet project in the late 1970s, when a dam was built separating Sasyk Lagoon from the Black Sea with the idea of converting the lagoon to a fresh water lake to use for irrigation. However, this failed and the use of water from Sasyk resulted in the salinization of about 30,000 hectares of land, with associated impact on crops, and mineralization of ground water and wells. Many now favour breaking the dam and reconnecting the lagoon with the sea. Health The rates of cancer in this region are among the highest in Ukraine, especially among children and young adults. Photographs References Cities in Odesa Oblast Populated places in Bessarabia Akkermansky Uyezd Holocaust locations in Ukraine Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion