Protecting critical water supply: Government forms portfolio of 26 special projects

The government has formed a portfolio of 26 special projects to safeguard critical water supply systems – including engineering and technical protection of pumping stations, water intakes, treatment facilities, and key system elements.

Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories Development, stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“Water has been designated as one of the key blocks in resilience planning. We cannot predict which city or facility Russia will try to strike. That is why the logic is not to guess the direction of attack, but to reduce the vulnerability of the system as a whole. (…) A portfolio of 26 special projects for critical water supply has already been formed. It covers regional centers, Kyiv, and major cities, and provides for protection, backup sources, autonomous solutions, and mobile rapid-response water intake complexes,” Kuleba said.

He added that the projects primarily involve engineering and technical protection of water supply facilities: pumping stations, water intakes, treatment plants, and key system elements.

“Second – creating backup water sources so that a city is not left without water if the main source is hit. Third – backup power supply for water utilities, including generators and other autonomous solutions. Fourth – equipment modernization and network ring-linking where needed for resilience,” Kuleba explained.

The Vice Prime Minister emphasized that the risk of strikes on water infrastructure has already been factored into specific projects and solutions, which must be implemented before the next heating season.

Earlier in April, President Volodymyr Zelensky released intelligence data indicating that Russia plans missile strikes on water supply infrastructure: bridges, dams, hydroelectric plants, and drinking water systems.

As reported by Ukrinform, Russian forces struck the Pechenihy Reservoir dam in Kharkiv region. Later, it was announced that Ukraine’s Armed Forces had prepared backup logistics routes and were ready to restore the crossing in the shortest possible time in case of damage.