Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi rayon has spent the most water on irrigation over the past 10 years

The Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Interdistrict Water Management Department of the State Fisheries Agency in Odesa Oblast has provided 20.4 million cubic meters of water from the Dniester River to farmers in the area to irrigate their fields.

According to the State Agency for Land Reclamation and Fisheries of Ukraine, the year 2025 has already become a record year in terms of irrigation water supply over the past decade.

For comparison, in 2024, 15.6 million cubic meters of water were consumed, and in 2023, 18.7 million cubic meters. The current year, 2025, according to the Land Reclamation Agency, like several previous years, has been particularly tense for water users in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district.

The number of days with super-high temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius reached 70, or more than two months.

"Such abnormal conditions provoke an increased need for moisture in plants and create the need for significant volumes of water for irrigation. Ensuring adequate irrigation is becoming a key factor in preventing the premature end of the growing season and, as a result, a significant decrease in yields," the agency said.

They emphasized that the southern regions of Ukraine are experiencing significant climate change, which poses serious challenges for the agricultural sector. Increasing average annual temperatures, decreasing precipitation, and intensifying desertification processes are causing more frequent and intense droughts, requiring immediate adaptation of agricultural practices.

"According to scientific studies, the average air temperature in southern Ukraine has increased by 1-1.5°C over the past century. It is worth noting that the rate of warming in Ukraine is generally 2.5 times higher than the global average, which emphasizes the severity of the problem for our country. The situation with the water balance is also critical. In particular, in the Odesa region, this figure is negative: annual precipitation is 350-450 millimeters, while evaporation reaches 1,100 millimeters. Thus, even in the most favorable weather years, the amount of precipitation is not able to compensate for moisture losses," the agency noted.

Кирило Бойко