Kyiv faces major water supply problems due to the pollution of the Desna River

Kyiv may face significant problems with water supply due to pollution in the Desna River, which is the main source of drinking water for the capital.

This was stated by the deputy head of the Kyiv water utility, Volodymyr Kostiuk.

“The Desna remains the primary source of water for the Desnianska water treatment plants, accounting for 70% of the prepared drinking water for Kyiv residents. Currently, there is no alternative to this water source. Losing it will lead to serious consequences and imbalance in the capital’s water supply system,” Kostiuk said.

According to him, the pollution in the Desna is spreading, and the expected dilution “is not happening as predicted.” The city will partially meet its water needs through alternative systems.

“The polluted water has now moved below Chernihiv. Unfortunately, the organic pollution continues,” the official reported.

However, shortly after Kostiuk’s statement, Kyivvodokanal (Kyiv Water Company) effectively refuted his claims, calling the publications on this topic “incorrect.”

“We want to emphasize that the representative of Kyivvodokanal on the air of Espreso TV presented the most pessimistic scenario, the likelihood of which is currently low,” the company said in a Facebook post.

“At the same time, Kyivvodokanal is prepared for potential challenges and is taking timely measures to ensure that Kyiv residents continue to receive quality water,” the company assured.

It is worth recalling that at the end of August, there were reports that the Seim River, which flows from Russia’s Kursk region, where fighting is ongoing, into Chernihiv region in Ukraine, has been completely polluted, and waste has started entering the Desna River, into which the Seim flows.

Recently, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Olena Kramarenko, predicted that polluted water from the Seim would reach Kyiv through the Desna and Dnipro rivers by September 10. However, yesterday, Environment Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk noted that the movement of polluted water from the Desna and Seim towards Kyiv had slowed, though the threat still remains.