Kyiv may switch to alternative water sources as Desna River pollution spreads
Kyiv may have to switch to alternative water supply sources due to contamination in the Desna River, but that would leave the capital with a deficit of fresh water, Volodymyr Kostiuk, Deputy Director of Kyivvodokanal (municipal water utility company), told Ukrainian broadcaster Espreso TV on Sept. 10.
Kostiuk noted that the Desna remains "the primary water source for the Desniansky water treatment plants and supplies 70% of the treated drinking water for Kyiv residents." According to him, the city may discontinue using the facility as polluted waters are getting closer to Kyiv.
“There is no alternative to this water intake system today,” he said,
“Losing it would lead to serious consequences and imbalance in the city's water supply system.”
Kostiuk added that the polluted water has moved downstream of Chernihiv, and the organic pollution of Desna continues.
“It's impossible to predict what kind of water will reach the intake in 4-5 days,” he continued.
“However, we are prepared for the worst outcomes. If such results are confirmed and our current process cannot purify the water, we may have to abandon this water intake and switch to other sources, including the Dnipro Station and artesian wells.”
Kostiuk noted that in such a case, these alternative intakes cannot fully supply the entire city with water.
On Facebook, Kyivvodokanal later stated that the water supply situation is under control. The quality of the water supplied to residents' homes meets all established standards, posing no threat to consumers, the press service emphasized.
"We want to stress that the representative of Kyivvodokanal on the Espresso TV channel presented the most pessimistic scenario, which currently has a low probability. Nonetheless, Kyivvodokanal is prepared for possible challenges and is taking all necessary measures to ensure that residents continue to receive quality water," the company said.
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