Denmark will help replace 30 kilometers of the «most critical» parts of the water main in Mykolaiv

The Danish government will help replace 30 kilometers of the water network that is most affected by salt water.

Currently, the development of 40 relevant projects for the replacement of these plots in the city is underway, the director of Mykolaivvodokanal, Borys Dudenko, said in a comment to NikVesti.

«To date, we are developing about 40 projects for the replacement of plots in the city. We will also be assisted there by the Danish government through the DRC — the Danish Refugee Council. They are looking for donors for paving. We also plan to replace about 30 kilometers there, but these are of smaller diameters (for the project to replace 12 sections of the water pipeline, implemented by the Mykolayiv RMA, - note). These are the most critical points. Most of them are steel pipes that were damaged by salt water,» said Borys Dudenko.

What about the water in Mykolaiv?

Back in April 2022, Russian troops destroyed the water pipeline through which Mykolaiv received drinking water.

Previously, NikVesti wrote that the water in the taps of Mykolaiv residents is dangerous for consumption, as it contains enterococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, toxic elements, has an increased content of chlorides, sulfates, dry residue, etc.

More information about the dangers of using «technical» water for citizens and what awaits the city's residents in the future can be found in the «Mykolaiv. The city that holds the defense of the south suffers from thirst».

In March 2023, the director of Mykolaivvodokanal, Borys Dudenko, announced the possible threat of destruction of the sewage system due to the influence of salt water. According to him, over the past year, the water utility has eliminated more than 1,000 leaks, and after the start of the supply of salty water, the number of accidents per day increased 10-15 times. In addition, concrete sewer collectors also begin to degrade.

The European Investment Bank has approved additional credit financing of 20 million euros to improve water supply and drainage in Mykolaiv within the framework of the Municipal Infrastructure Development Program of Ukraine.

Earlier it was reported that 1.2 billion hryvnias are going to be allocated from the state budget for the restoration of the water supply system in Mykolaiv. Such a step is necessary for the city, since salt water corrodes the pipes and over time the entire water supply system will have to be changed in Mykolaiv.

At the same time, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim , considers his team's decision to supply the city with salty technical water from the Southern Bug through a water pipeline after the water pipeline from the Dnipro River was damaged by Russian shelling in April of last year.

The Vodokanal is considering six options for arranging a new water intake site to provide Mykolaiv with drinking water.

As you know, the search for an alternative source of water intake began in the summer of last year. At that time, the general director of the water utility Borys Dudenko talked about only a few options, where to get the amount of water necessary to fill the water supply system of our city and its 24-hour operation.

The first option is to go higher along the channel of the Southern Bug, choose a place with high-quality fresh water, build a water intake station there, lay a pipeline to Mykolaiv.

The second is to continue pumping water from the Dnipro-Bug estuary, but to install industrial-scale reverse osmosis units. Such installations are very energy-consuming.

On August 19, the department of urban planning, architecture, capital construction and support of development projects of Mykolaiv RMA announced tenders for the reconstruction of 12 sections of water mains damaged by salt water in different areas of the city for a total amount of 1 billion 348 million hryvnias.

Recently, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim , announced the possible deterioration of water quality in the taps of Mykolaiv residents by the end of 2023. At the same time, he believes that currently the water from the taps in Mykolaiv, which the townspeople consider technical, is better in terms of quality than «most water in Europe».

It is also known that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is currently personally dealing with the issue of restoring the supply of drinking water to Mykolaiv.

Read also the article NikVesti «The issue of water in Mykolaiv. Is it possible to restore the Zhovtneve Reservoir and how will it help the city?».