MOSCOW, May 20 (RIA Novosti) – Water should be conserved in Crimea, but Russia should also negotiate with Ukraine to open the North-Crimean Canal and purchase fresh water for the peninsula, experts gathered at a RIA Novosti roundtable said.
"The strategic objective is to compensate for the losses associated with halting water supply through the channel. This does not rule out the possibility of negotiations with the Ukrainian side to resume regular operation of this water source. Naturally, on a financial basis," said Nikolai Alexeyevskiy, the head of the Land Hydrology Department at the Moscow State University Faculty of Geography.
The channel has not been repaired for half a century, which has led to leaks and poor water quality, said Sergei Golubchikov, a member of the Russian Geographical Society. He urged the use of local water sources and curtailing consumption, including switching to drip irrigation.
"We need to repair the North Crimean Canal, bring it in compliance with all standards, and then continue to negotiate with the Ukrainian side. The Dnieper river water is an exchange item for Ukraine, we will settle not in hryvnia, but in dollars, for them it's a benefit," Golubchikov said.
The expert recalled that the Dnieper is not solely a Ukrainian river, because it originates in Russia, and the overlap of the Dnieper water is unacceptable, the parties need to seek an agreement.
Ukraine supplies up to 85 percent of Crimea’s fresh water through the North-Crimean Canal connecting the Dnieper River with the peninsula. Earlier in April, the Ukrainian government made a decision to halt all fresh water supplies to Crimea citing Crimea’s unpaid debts for earlier supplies as a reason.
The water supply problem was partly solved after transferring water from the Crimean river Biyuk-Karasu to the North Crimean Canal. In addition, Russian Ministry of Defense has provided assistance to Crimea, supplying the region with fresh drinking water from artesian wells.
