Kryvyi Rih may be left without water in three weeks

The head of the Kryvyi Rih City Military Administration Oleksandr Vilkul said this on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"Can we not save water? No, we can't. Otherwise, it is guaranteed to run out in three weeks. Through strict savings, we have a chance to catch up with the implementation of water transfer projects," Vilkul said.

According to him, to compensate for the water supply lost due to the Russians' explosion of the Kakhovka HPP, 11 million cubic meters per month (up to 380 thousand cubic meters per day - taking into account the consumption of the city, rural areas and evaporation from the Pivdenne reservoir) is needed. After the Kakhovka HPP's destruction and the reservoir's shallowing, 2/3 of the Kryvyi Rih agglomeration - approximately 550,000 people out of 800,000 residents - were left without Dnipro water.

The transit Southern Reservoir has just over a month's worth of water left. The head of the Military Administration emphasized that water can only be taken from the Karachuny reservoir and transferred there from other upstream reservoirs of the Dnipro cascade. Currently, four technical solutions are being implemented to provide water to the city and neighboring villages. But this requires time, money, and materials, so there is a risk that two-thirds of the city will be left without water altogether. The most critical period is September-October.

Therefore, Vilkul once again called on the residents of Kryvyi Rih to save water. According to him, this can be achieved by minimizing the water supply to industrial enterprises, banning the operation of car washes, banning hose watering, reducing pressure on the residential sector, and operating the water utility from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. only in circulation mode.

Regarding the operation of car washes, the head of the Military Administration noted that violators of the ban would face sanctions.

"Many businessmen heard us and stopped washing cars. There are some shameless ones who have not shut down and even break the seals from the valves when forced to do so. Starting today, I gave the order to dig up the pipes. We will turn on such "smart" ones only after the war," Vilkul warned.

As Ukrinform reported, on the night of June 6, Russian troops blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, causing flooding of parts of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions and at the same time critical shallowing of the Kakhovka reservoir.

On June 8, at 3:20 a.m., the level dropped, and Kakhovka water stopped flowing into the Pivdenne reservoir.

Residents of Kryvyi Rih were warned to reduce water consumption by 40%. In the Nikopol district, water supply has already been suspended in Pokrov, Marhanets, part of the Pokrovska community, Tomakivka, Myrovka and Chervonohryhorivka communities.