Mykolaiv's Water Quality Control: Ensuring Safe Drinking Water

Mykolaiv utility workers told us how they control the drinking water supplied to the city's residents. Every day, the company's specialists service these points, monitor the operation of the equipment and control the quality.

According to the press service of Mykolaivoblteploenergo, the possibility of creating water distribution points arose after Russian troops deliberately blew up the water supply system from the Dnipro. This caused interruptions in centralized water supply and left Mykolaiv without drinking water.

The facilities of Mykolaivoblteploenergo operate 79 free drinking water points in different parts of the city. Every year, residents receive more than 100 million liters of purified water.

The water goes through a multi-level purification system before it reaches the citizens:

• Mechanical purification - removing large particles through filters.
• Deep filtration - removal of gases, organic substances and some chemical compounds.
• Reverse osmosis is the main stage that removes residual impurities, in particular salt, which is a major problem for Mykolaiv.
• Membrane filtration - purification from bacteria, viruses and chemical compounds. The membranes are replaced every 3-4 months or more often if necessary.
• Ultraviolet disinfection is the final stage to ensure that the water is safe for consumption.

Mobile crews assigned to specific areas of the city regularly check and maintain water points. They monitor the quality, provide additional reagents, replace filters and clean equipment.

Water quality is monitored by the Mykolaiv Regional Laboratory of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection. Experts take water samples from different locations and analyze them for physicochemical, bacteriological and organoleptic parameters. Thanks to the final control and modern purification methods, Mykolaiv residents can be sure that their drinking water is safe.

Recently, Mykolaiv selected a supplier for the charitable aid provided by the NGO Youth of Ukraine. It is about the water dispensing points donated by the benefactors to the city. As part of the community support, the city received modern water distribution points, each of which includes a well with a submersible pump and a water purification system.

In early January, the city opened a new clean water distribution point at 79-g Heroiv Ukrayiny Avenue. Similar points are operating in all districts of the city, with more than 80 in total.

In addition, there are plans to build a new water filtration system and upgrade existing infrastructure facilities. To do this, it is necessary to raise more than UAH 6 billion. The main stage of the project involves the construction of a modern drinking water filtration system, including the installation of new equipment.

Анна Бальчінос