Mykolaiv's Water Supply Restoration: 1,000 Workers Aim for August Completion

The main contractor of the water supply system from Nova Odesa has published photos and described the progress of water supply restoration. More than a thousand specialists are currently working on the site.

This was reported by its owner Maxim Shkil.

According to him, today marks three years since Mykolaiv was left without a centralized supply of drinking water. After Russian troops blew up the water supply system, the city is forced to use salt water from the estuary, which is not suitable for drinking and household needs. Mykolaiv is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Construction of the water supply system started in March. According to the general contractor, more than a thousand workers and hundreds of pieces of equipment are working around the clock. The goal is to complete the construction in a record five months. Given the complexity of the project, the DESIGN&BUILD methodology is used to synchronize the work of engineers and builders, reducing the time required.

The project envisages the construction of a 67.8-kilometer-long water pipeline with three water pumping stations that will supply water to Mykolaiv and the surrounding areas. The cost of the project amounted to UAH 6.227 billion, which is more than UAH 2.5 billion less than the initial estimate.

Water will be taken from the Southern Bug River through four gravity pipes equipped with a filtration system and ultrasonic protection against bioresources. After treatment, the water will be delivered to the municipal water treatment plant.

The water pipeline route will cross agricultural land and important infrastructure facilities, including rivers, roads and gas pipelines, which complicates the work. To this end, horizontal directional drilling is used to avoid disturbing surface structures.

All facilities will be equipped with modern power supply systems, and pumping stations will be protected to ensure safety in the face of military threats.

Recently, Serhiy Sukhomlyn , head of the State Agency for Infrastructure Recovery and Development, said that although the construction of a new water pipeline would normally take a year and a half, due to the accelerated pace, water is expected to be supplied to Mykolaiv in August. The project cost was also reduced from UAH 8 billion to UAH 5 billion.

Construction work is being carried out by several companies that have already received large government contracts, including Avtostrada, Rostdorstroy, and Ukrtransmist. However, some of these contractors are subject to criminal proceedings related to issues of efficiency and transparency of spending.

Анна Бальчінос