Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) advocates the need for an inventory of groundwater sources in the country, given the likelihood of water scarcity caused by the arid climate in the past five years.
An ad hoc group on water security and drinking water reserves gathered on Wednesday, May 13, to consider such issues as the condition of ground water bodies and forecasts for the availability of ground water to households and Ukraine's economy this year, the NSDC's press service said.
Read alsoUkraine weather in 2019 warmest over 140 years
The country's Water Resources Agency says the past five years have been a low-water period, so there is the likelihood of a water shortage in the basins of some rivers that have seen a significant man-caused impact.
NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov says that water scarcity requires measures to optimize the use of water resources and to adjust water consumption. He also stressed the importance of a complete inventory of groundwater sources and artesian wells that supply drinking water in order to include them into the country's water supply systems.
The meeting also addressed the need to raise additional funds to upgrade centralized water supply systems so that households could have access to quality drinking water.
The need to develop a water strategy in Ukraine was also discussed.
Following the meeting, a protocol decision was passed along with the government's recommendations aimed at ensuring national water security in 2020.
