Photo from UNIAN
Half of the country's southern regions may be left without the centralized water supply in five years.
Journalists of the Novoe Vremya news outlet have estimated that at least US$20 billion needs to be invested in repairs and reconstruction of Ukraine's water supply and treatment system in the next 10 years.
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"According to UkrVodokanalEcologia [the association of water supply and sewage companies], to prevent the critical situation from turning into hopeless, $19.5 billion in investment is required in the next 10 years to fix the industry, while $40 billion is needed to bring it to the European level," reads an article, published on Novoe Vremya.
According to the journalists, this amount is comparable to all foreign direct investment over the 27-year history of Ukraine's independence.
Some $9.9 billion needs to be injected into the reconstruction and repair of drainage systems. Reconstruction and repair of water supply systems will cost about $7.6 billion, while $1.3 billion is required for measures to reduce energy costs in water supplies. Some $963 million is needed to bring the quality of drinking water to the standards. Thus, it is necessary to invest about $19.7 billion in the repair of the country's water supply and drainage systems.
Vice-President of UkrVodokanalEcologia Olha Babiy says that groundwater and wells are being contaminated with nitrates due to the uncontrolled use of mineral fertilizers by farmers.
She says the southern Ukrainian areas, namely Mykolaiv, Kherson, and Odesa regions, are rapidly losing water, which is noticeable by a decrease in the level of water in underground sources.
"And there is a high need for irrigation," she said. "In five years, 50% of the southern regions will be left without the centralized water supply."