"Will not bring results": for what purpose a bill was introduced to the Rada on the prohibition of water supply to Crimea

A bill was introduced to the Verkhovna Rada to ban the resumption of water supply to Crimea through the North Crimean Canal.

This was announced by the author of this legislative initiative, a deputy from the European Solidarity party Alexei Goncharenko.

“Submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a bill banning the restoration of water supply to Crimea until the restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula and adjacent waters of the Black and Azov Seas.

Everyone knows that in Crimea every day the “water crisis” is intensifying and there are talks about restoring water supply from Ukraine, ”the politician said on his Facebook.

Goncharenko claims that Crimea does not need additional water supply from the Ukrainian side, since there are enough water resources on the peninsula.

“There is information in the public domain that Crimea's own water resources are approximately 910 million cubic meters per year, and in especially dry years - up to 430 million cubic meters.

According to the data of the state accounting of water use, about 101-105 million cubic meters of water were used annually for drinking and household needs of the residents of Crimea, ”he wrote.

According to the parliamentarian, Russia allegedly needs more water to ensure the development of industry and a military base in Crimea.

“After all, Russia continues to increase the number of equipment and military contingent on the peninsula.

It is obvious that the water supply to Crimea will lead to further militarization of the region and the continuation of the "creeping occupation" of the sea, "the Ukrainian parliamentarian says.

From this, Goncharenko concludes that Ukraine needs to impose restrictions on the supply of water to Crimea, and it can only be implemented "under the conditions of restoration of Ukraine's state sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and the surrounding waters of the Black and Azov Seas."

The situation with water in Crimea

Let us recall that the Crimea is historically characterized by a shortage of water resources.

In Soviet times, this issue was resolved with the help of channels through which fresh water entered the peninsula.

The largest of them is the North Crimean, coming from Ukraine.

Until 2014, up to 85% of the water needed for the region was supplied through it.

After Crimea returned to the Russian Federation, Kiev unilaterally stopped the supply of water to the peninsula.

In this regard, the Russian authorities began to develop their own water sources to cover the needs of the population.

Another problem is that dry years with low rainfall periodically occur in Crimea.

This, in turn, leads to the shallowing of natural reservoirs.

This situation has developed this year as well, as a result of which water supply schedules had to be introduced in Simferopol and 39 adjacent settlements since the end of August.

In addition, the night water supply was limited in Alushta, located near coastal villages on the South Bank and Belogorsk.

Natalya Poklonskaya, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, sent a request to the UN in May regarding the water blockade of Crimea by Ukraine.

Elizabeth Throssell, spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, confirmed receipt of the request.

"The right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is recognized by the UN General Assembly as one of the human rights necessary for a full life," RIA Novosti quoted her as saying.

The functionary of the organization said that, according to the office of the UN High Commissioner, Russia bears the main responsibility for ensuring access to water, but Ukraine should

support.

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• © Konstantin Mikhalchevsky

“We further note that, in accordance with international human rights law, Ukraine is obliged to support the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights and to keep under review whether it can take measures to ensure an adequate standard of living for all on its territory, ”added Throssell.

State Duma deputy from the peninsula Ruslan Balbek called such a response vague and meaningless.

“In the best traditions of Western bureaucracy - a vague answer about nothing.

If Ukraine, which considers Crimea to be its territory, does not give its citizens water, then this is the most vivid example of the fact that Crimea for official Kiev is just a poster with which it is worn all over the world, begging for money and preferences, ”the deputy noted.

Required supplies

In October this year, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced that Crimea will receive about 50 billion rubles for the modernization of the water supply system from the federal budget.

“In total, about 50 billion rubles will be allocated for the implementation of the plan, most of which will come from the federal budget.

This will provide an additional water supply in the amount of at least 310 thousand cubic meters per day, which will fully provide the peninsula and its inhabitants with high-quality water supply, ”Mishustin said.

The problem of supplying Crimea with water during his annual press conference was also raised by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The head of state said that geological studies are being carried out on the peninsula, and part of the water intake is being redirected.

He expressed the hope that Sevastopol in the near future will not feel any restrictions on water supply.

“But this applies to the whole Crimea.

Apparently, there are actually enough reserves of good fresh water in Crimea.

It's just that in Soviet times, and even more so when Crimea was part of Ukraine, they did not do it.

Now this work is being carried out on a large scale, ”Putin said.

According to him, experts say that in the area of ​​the Azov Sea adjacent to the Crimea - under the Sea of ​​Azov - there may be large reserves of good fresh water.

“All this taken together gives me reason to say that we will solve the problem.

Appropriate funds are allocated.

The state will not save on this, 100%, do not even doubt, ”the head of state said.

A few days later, on December 19, the transfer of water to Sevastopol from the Kadykovsky quarry, a reserve reservoir near Mount Gasfort and Inkerman Lake, began.

This was announced by the governor of the city Mikhail Razvozhaev.

“Until March, before the flood water starts filling and a large water intake is built on the Belbek River, we must hold out in Sevastopol without water supply restrictions,” RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

• Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

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Today, Ukrainian politicians, turning water supply into an element of blackmail, violate humanitarian norms, because the UN Charter is forbidden to do such things even during a war, explained Andrey Suzdaltsev, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics

Ukrainian politicians are trying to distract the public from internal difficulties in Ukraine, to shift attention to foreign policy, to awaken pseudo-patriotism, by statements banning the supply of water to Crimea, Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at the IMEMO RAS, said in a conversation with RT.

"In addition, the European Solidarity party, reflecting the interests of Poroshenko, who leaves no hope of returning to power, is thus trying to create legislative difficulties for the current government, which may later have to decide on the supply of water to Crimea," the political scientist said.

Recall that in March 2020, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmyhal said that the Ukrainian side should supply water to Crimea, since this is a "matter of humanitarian responsibility" to the inhabitants of the peninsula.

According to him, the refusal of the water supply to Crimea "will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe."

A storm of criticism fell upon him, and later Shmyshal said that the issue of supplying water to the “occupied” Crimea was not on the agenda.

At the same time, in August, the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the trilateral contact group on resolving the conflict in Donbass, Leonid Kravchuk, nevertheless allowed the supply of water to people for humanitarian purposes.

However, he excluded the supply of industrial enterprises and military bases of the peninsula.

According to Volodymyr Olenchenko, the efforts of Ukraine on the water blockade of Crimea and the bill of the deputy of the Rada on the prohibition of the resumption of water supply to the peninsula will lead nowhere.

“This water blockade will not bring the desired results to the Ukrainian authorities.

Earlier, Ukraine tried to isolate Crimea from electricity supplies.

But this situation has demonstrated that everything that the current Ukrainian politicians are doing leads to the improvement and improvement of infrastructure in Crimea, the search for internal resources, and an improvement in the status and authority of the Crimean authorities.

This situation creates difficulties, but they are surmountable.

The only question is in time, ”the expert concluded.