Ukraine is facing a massive infrastructure crisis in the wastewater sector. According to the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, about 40% of centralized wastewater networks are so worn out that they require complete replacement, and another 30% have already reached the end of their service life.
Lubinets stated this during the presentation of a special report on the state of water infrastructure in Ukraine.
"The situation is critical. Frequent accidents on such networks have become the norm. In addition, almost 50% of pumping stations and 55% of treatment facilities do not meet modern requirements. They require either major reconstruction or immediate equipment renewal," the ombudsman noted.
Without money – a dead end
According to Lubinets, without proper funding for the modernization of water infrastructure, the situation will only worsen.
"If we don't allocate funds, then in the future the problems will simply become bigger and bigger. It's like a snowball that accumulates. In fact, we are running in circles now," he stressed.
The war deepened the water crisis
Separately, the Ombudsman drew attention to the situation in the occupied territories, in particular in Donetsk, where, according to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, water is currently supplied only once every three days.
The government also acknowledges the problems with water resources. The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Svitlana Grinchuk, previously noted that many water supply systems were destroyed during the war, especially in frontline and occupied regions. According to her, the Ministry of Environment plans to monitor water resources according to European standards in order to respond more quickly to problems.
