MOSCOW, May 20 (RIA Novosti) – A new fresh water supply system could be turned on in Crimea by 2018-2019 if the project is initiated immediately, the head of the Institute of Environmental Design said at a roundtable at RIA Novosti.
"To implement certain strategies we need a comprehensive study of the hydrogeology of the region, its groundwater reserves. As for the timescale, such engineering hydrogeological surveys can be carried out in three to six months. If the process is initiated right away, we can finish it by the end of 2014 and receive all the information about the situation in the region," Vladimir Slobodyan said.
Speaking about the further implementation of the water supply strategy in Crimea, the expert said that no matter what strategy is chosen, the development of design documentation along with the state examination would require a year at least, while actually it would likely take up to two years. The construction work also will take at least a year or two, Slobodyan clarified.
"That is, if we start it all now, we get access to the actual water supply on a constant basis in 2018-2019,” Slobodyan said.
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, the Russian Ministry of Defense has provided assistance to Crimea, supplying the region with fresh drinking water from artesian wells.
