The Izmail District Council has reported a water supply crisis in the Danube region

During the 25th regular session of the Izmail District Council of the Odesa Region, council members discussed the critical water supply situation in the Danube region. 

According to district authorities, Lake Kytay is on the verge of drying up, and Lakes Katlabukh and Kytay require constant artificial replenishment, reports Intent.

As noted during the report, the water supply situation in the Danube region of Odesa Oblast shows signs of a crisis and requires urgent solutions at the national, regional, and local levels. According to the Izmail District State Administration, the most critical environmental situation has developed at Lakes Katlabukh and Kitay, where natural water exchange has practically ceased. During 2025 and 2026, the Danube’s water level did not allow for the natural replenishment of the reservoirs to regulatory standards. Evaporation, which significantly exceeds the volume of water used for irrigation, was cited as the main cause of water loss.

The situation at Lake Kytay was described as the most critical. As of July 2, the water level was only 0.75 mBS, which is 0.75 meters below the standard water level. The reservoir’s volume is 70.35 million cubic meters, which is nearly 42 million cubic meters less than the standard. As the speakers emphasized, the low water level is already leading to the silting up of the lake, increased water salinity, deteriorating conditions for fish spawning, and the virtual impossibility of conducting fisheries management.

In addition to natural factors, the situation is exacerbated by the poor condition of hydraulic structures. The canals, dams, and locks that facilitate water exchange between Lake Kytay and the Danube are physically worn out and in need of reconstruction. Pumping Station No. 3 poses a particular problem, as it cannot operate at full capacity. At the same time, Lake Katlabukh was successfully replenished this year through forced filling. According to the district state administration, the State Agency for Land Reclamation and Fisheries of Ukraine allocated 2 million hryvnias for this work, and the Katlabukh settlement community provided an additional 200,000 hryvnias in funding. As a result, the lake’s water volume increased by nearly 97 million cubic meters; however, even after this, the reservoir remains underfilled.

The district state administration reported that the issue of water supply to the Danube region has already been brought to the attention of the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine. The State Water Agency, the State Fisheries Agency, the Odesa Regional Military Administration, and international partners are also involved in the effort.

Among the priority measures, the authorities cite the reconstruction of hydraulic structures, the cleaning and dredging of canals, the construction of a solar-powered pumping station, and the dredging of Lake Kytay itself. The problem of the Danube lakes drying up remains one of the most acute issues for southern Odesa Oblast. Low water levels threaten the supply of industrial water to settlements, the irrigation of agricultural land, and the preservation of the unique ecosystems of Ukraine’s Danube region.
 

Антоніна Лубченко