Authorities in Voznesensk have explained the reasons for the water supply disruptions: the town is receiving only 6 of the 8,000 cubic metres per day it needs
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- Alina KvitkoReporter
The mayor of Voznesensk explained why the town is short of water and when the situation might improve. Photo: NikVesti archiveIn Voznesensk, hourly water supply schedules will remain in place until the completion of projects to modernise the water supply system. According to the mayor, Yevhen Velychko, the city is forced to maintain restrictions due to a water shortage: the existing wells provide less water than the community needs.
He made these remarks in a video address to the community’s residents.
According to Yevhen Velychko, Voznesensk obtains its drinking water exclusively from boreholes. Due to prolonged periods of drought and climate change, their flow rate has decreased, whilst consumption traditionally rises in summer.
«Voznesensk obtains its drinking water exclusively from boreholes. This is what enables us to provide residents with high-quality drinking water, but at the same time makes the system dependent on groundwater levels. Today, the community’s water supply system is served by nine boreholes. The community’s water supply system is currently served by nine boreholes. Whilst the community’s needs amount to around 8,000 cubic metres per day, the boreholes can currently only supply around 6,000 cubic metres,» he explained.
The mayor of Voznesensk also noted that the strain on the system had increased following the expansion of the network. In particular, in 2023, the Priame neighbourhood was connected to the centralised water supply, which made it possible to provide drinking water to a further 183 households.
To address the problem, according to Yevhen Velychko, the city council began working with international partners as early as 2024 to modernise the water supply system.
An agreement was reached with the «New Ukraine» Foundation to construct four new boreholes at an estimated cost of up to 30 million hryvnias. Separately, in collaboration with UNICEF, a project is being implemented to drill a further five boreholes and install the necessary infrastructure, at a cost of over 15 million hryvnias. According to the mayor, the tender procedures have already been completed, and preparatory work is due to begin shortly.
In addition, two further projects with a total cost of around 15 million hryvnias are being implemented in partnership with the International Organisation for Migration. One of these involves installing equipment to increase water pressure in the upper part of the Bolgarka neighbourhood and the Vynohradnyi district, whilst the other involves the construction of a new 160-millimetre-diameter water main along Svobody Street.
Overall, according to Yevhen Velychko, over the past two years the community has managed to secure more than 75 million hryvnias in international technical assistance for the development and modernisation of the water supply system.
«All in all, in the last two years alone we have managed to secure over 75 million hryvnias in international technical assistance for the development and modernisation of the community’s water supply system. This represents an unprecedented level of investment in Voznesensk’s water infrastructure. Unfortunately, implementing such projects takes time. It is not just a matter of construction work. Before that, it is necessary to carry out design work, geological surveys, expert assessments, obtain approvals, conduct procurement procedures and conclude the relevant agreements. That is precisely why preparatory work has been ongoing since 2024, but the most important thing today is that all these projects have now moved from the planning stage to the implementation stage,» said Yevhen Velychko.
Until these projects are completed, the community will continue to operate on hourly water supply schedules.
«This is a necessary, albeit unavoidable, step that allows us to supply water to all districts and communities and prevent the wells from running completely dry. I would like to remind you that, for residents of remote areas, free water deliveries are organised on request,» added Yevhen Velychko.
As a reminder, in Voznesensk, tariffs for refuse collection and centralised wastewater disposal have risen since 1 June. The executive committee has also set a tariff for the disposal of household waste at the municipal landfill.
Earlier, the management of Voznesensk-based «Biological Treatment Plants» Ltd had appealed to the mayor and the council to allocate funds for the reconstruction of their facilities. The company’s director stated that Voznesensk’s treatment facilities have been in operation for around 50 years and are currently in a state of disrepair.
