Mykolaiv to restore water supply with EU funds as Cabinet allots $4 million
Photo: Mykolaivvodokanal/facebook

The Cabinet of Ministers has allotted UAH 153.3 million ($4.1 million) for the restoration and modernization of the Mykolaiv water supply and drainage system. This money will be allocated within the framework of the grant agreement between Ukraine and the European Investment Bank (EIB), Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov said.

"We are directing funds, first of all, to critical infrastructure. Restoring basic services in communities is a priority of the ministry. This makes it possible to return to normal life in the regions, especially in those affected by Russia's armed aggression," said Kubrakov.

The manager of the grant funds will be the Ministry of Reconstruction, the executor of the project will be the Mykolaivvodokanal.

The Russians left Mykolaiv without water supply on April 12, 2022. The city is located near the Pivdennyi Buh and Inhul rivers, but it used to take water from the Dnipro. Every day, the city of almost half a million people received 120,000 cubic meters of water through a water pipeline from Kherson Oblast.

After the occupation of Kherson, the Russians blew up two 1.4-meter-diameter, 73-kilometer-long pipes that supplied water from the Dnipro to Mykolaiv. After the de-occupation of Kherson, the water supply system was repaired, but the water intake station was destroyed by shelling from the east bank.

Now there are almost 180 water treatment points in Mykolaiv. The city's residents receive drinking water free of charge. The water that is currently being pumped into the system is technical water, taken from the Pivdennyi Buh. It cannot be used for cooking.

After the war, the city council plans to create a utility company that will take care of the purified water points, service them and sell water to the population. At the same time, the cost of a liter of water, according to preliminary calculations, can be 20 kopecks ($0.0054).

The European Investment Bank is one of Ukraine's largest donors. Today, the portfolio of projects implemented by the EIB with the Ukrainian state, communal sectors and business exceeds 7 billion euros.

In June 2023, on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London, Kubrakov and the President of the European Investment Bank, Werner Hoyer, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in Ukraine recovery projects.

In 2023, it is planned to allocate about 840 million euros for the restoration of Ukraine's infrastructure. The funds will be directed to the preparation, assessment, financing and implementation of the reconstruction of municipal infrastructure (schools, hospitals, etc.); public buildings taking into account energy efficiency; water supply and drainage infrastructure; transport networks and urban public transport.