The director of the water utility about the replacement of the network destroyed by salt water in Mykolaiv

The director of «Mykolaivvodokanal» Borys Dudenko said that it is impossible to replace all 1,200 kilometers of the city's water supply network, which was destroyed due to the supply of salty water.

He informed about this in a comment to the correspondent of NikVesti.

«It is almost impossible to replace all networks in Mykolaiv. Gradually, we do it, but in those areas that flow. We change them, but in general, replacing 1,200 kilometers is unrealistic. Let me tell you this: we understand that it is necessary to change there, there and there. But everything very much depends on financing,» said Borys Dudenko.

He also added that replacing the city's entire water supply network will cost billions of hryvnias. At the same time, says the director of the water company, the most worn parts of the network are gradually being replaced in Mykolaiv.

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«There was never a possibility of financing these things. We could find something, but not in such a way as to work stably. Billions of hryvnias are needed for this today. Look, today Mykolayiv RMA is working on a project to replace 12 sections — it's a total of about 20 kilometers and it costs more than 2 billion hryvnias. And I told you about 1200 kilometers. The funds are very large, but we are gradually replacing those areas that are the most worn out, that are in emergency,» said Borys Dudenko.

It was previously reported that the Danish government will help replace 30 kilometers of the water network section that was most affected by salt water.

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