Crimea has learned to live without Dnieper water. What will it be needed for now?
The Kakhovka hydroelectric complex, from which the North Crimean Canal originates, is under the control of the Russian military, and the management service is just being formed. This was announced by Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Water Resources of Crimea Albert Kangiev.
“Today the service that was once there is being organized in the adjacent territory,” he noted. “Our Armed Forces are there now, guarding the facility, but there is no service as such yet. Once it is organized, we will begin a relationship.”
The Ukrainian authorities had previously planned to put up for auction the office of the North Crimean Canal and the Office of the Main Kakhovka Main Canal. Both state-owned enterprises were responsible for the supply of Dnieper water to Crimea, concluded contracts and agreed on pricing. Currently, the cost of a cubic meter of water from the canal is under development, since it cannot be the same for the needs of public utilities, fish farms or rice farmers.
“I don’t think that the price will be astronomical,” Kangiev assured. – In previous years it was pennies, and nothing will change at the present time. Taking into account inflation, changes will occur. The price will be formed within a week or two. Most likely, there will be a separate one for rice farmers, fish farmers, irrigation of arable land and fruit growing farms.”
The State Water Resources Committee is convinced that the total volume of water consumption will decrease. If previously 1,2 billion cubic meters were pumped through the canal into bulk reservoirs and storage ponds of farms, now there is no such need. Farmers have learned to use water resources economically, sprinkler machines have been scrapped, water intakes have been drilled for the needs of the population, which cannot be abandoned - the well must be pumped so that it does not silt up. An underground water supply path is being built parallel to the artificial river bed from the north to the east of the peninsula, bulk reservoirs are filled with water from underground sources, and natural flow reservoirs have received so many floods that they discharge excess along river beds into the sea.
“In early April, water will be pumped into the Mezhgornoye Reservoir,” Kangiev said. “When the horizon is full, there is a lot of filtration, so 30 million cubic meters of water will be raised into it, with a design volume of 50 million.”
In the future, Dnieper water is needed to expand the area of irrigated land. Of the 400 thousand hectares, Crimea uses only a quarter, but to restore irrigation systems, state support is needed, without which farmers will not be able to lay new networks and purchase sprinklers.
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