On 3 March, Aizkraukle hosted for the first time an educational expedition for young people entitled “Groundwater – invisible or visible after all?”. The younger generation broadened their knowledge of environmental protection issues by visiting a historically contaminated site in Aizkraukle. Thirty inquisitive pupils from schools in Aizkraukle municipality that take part in the Eco-Schools programme joined the expedition.

The aim of the expedition was to provide information about the project launched under the Latvian–Swiss cooperation programme to remediate a historically contaminated site (improving environmental quality) in Aizkraukle, broadening young people's knowledge of environmental protection issues and developing a sense of responsibility for their municipality and the surrounding environment.

During the expedition, the pupils visited the project site at Dzelzceļa iela 10, where the source of contamination was historically located and where investigations concluded that the contamination remains. The young people were welcomed at the site by Andris Zālītis, Deputy Chair of Aizkraukle Municipal Council, who explained how the contamination came about in this location. Jānis Šīre, an expert from the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre, talked with the pupils about water resources in Latvia, the impact of climate change and pollution, and the need to improve the quality of water resources.

Raimonds Sļesarevs, an expert from the State Environmental Service, described the remediation work planned under the project, while Dace Kreišmane-Koluškina, a representative of AS “Latvenergo”, discussed with the young people the company's contribution to improving the environment and reducing the risk of pollution.

Over the course of the day, the young people talked over what they had heard and discussed possible solutions. At the close of the expedition, each school's Eco-Council was given the task of preparing an idea – a proposal for how the historically contaminated site could be used and developed in the future. The pupils' ideas will be presented at the programme's opening conference on 20 March at Likteņdārzs.

The expedition was attended by pupils from Aizkraukles novada vidusskola, Andreja Upīša Skrīveru vidusskola, Pļaviņu vidusskola and Aizkraukles profesionālā vidusskola.

Implementation of the Latvian–Swiss cooperation programme will provide for planned measures at the contaminated site of national significance in Aizkraukle, reducing the contamination. As previously reported, the contract for the programme's “Remediation of historically contaminated sites” was signed on 12 November 2024.