Upgrading water supply networks will be included in a large-scale five-year program for the socio-economic development of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
This was announced by the head of Crimea Sergei Aksenov, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to him, the progress of implementation of existing projects and development plans were discussed at a meeting led by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Marat Khusnullin, who oversees Crimea.
“One of the key areas of work is the issue of water supply,” Aksenov emphasized. “In the Republic of Crimea there are no problems with the provision of drinking and technical water, however, it is necessary to continue work on the reconstruction of utility networks to reduce losses.”
The latest data on the filling of Crimean reservoirs show an annual reserve of almost 200 million cubic meters. The main drinking reservoirs of Simferopol and Sevastopol - the Simferopol and Chernorechenskoe reservoirs - are filled to capacity. Through the North Crimean Canal system, about 30 million cubic meters of water will flow into the Mezhgornoye Reservoir to regulate the water supply to the central part of Crimea.
Since 2017, construction of a water supply route from the North to the East of the peninsula has been underway. Along it, water from Prostornensky, Novogrigoryevsky and Nezhensky water intakes will travel 217 km along an underground pipeline to supply water to Feodosia, Sudak and Kerch. A new water pipeline is planned in Yevpatoria; the repair of Yalta’s water supply networks required 2021 million rubles in 900 alone, and this is just the beginning of the work; Kerch is asking for 3 billion rubles to replace worn-out networks, through which up to 70% of the water is lost.
Previous projects on stable water supply to Crimea were implemented within the framework of the Federal Target Program for the development of Crimea and Sevastopol. Starting this year, the program changed its name from federal target to state socio-economic development. On instructions from President Putin, the deadline for its implementation was extended until 2027 with the prospect of extension until 2030. The list of objects that will be included in the new version of the program with government funding is still being compiled.