The Crimeans called the consequences of the explosion of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station for the water supply of the peninsula

The water level in the Kakhovka reservoir dropped significantly after the dam was blown up. The North Crimean Canal, which originates in the reservoir and feeds Crimea with moisture, also began to shallow. We found out what will happen to the water on the peninsula now.

The North Crimean Canal provided up to 85% of the needs of the inhabitants of the peninsula. After the Ukrainian authorities blocked the canal in 2014, the leadership of the peninsula frantically looked for ways to provide residents with water: they drilled underground wells and even invested in an expensive project to extract fresh water from the bottom of the Sea of ​​Azov. However, the problem was solved differently – in February 2022, water again poured into the Crimea through the canal.

The inhabitants of the peninsula remember well the days when red or other incomprehensible color water flowed from the tap. They remember how fresh water was brought in cisterns, because there was no other way to provide people with a drink. Now this is all behind us, such problems do not threaten the region – all the reservoirs in the Crimea are full, the reserves may be enough for a year and a half.

However, rice crops are under threat. “Rice farming is under attack – 3.2 thousand hectares have been planted. But we decided that we will fully compensate for all the costs incurred by the manufacturer, ”said the head of the Crimea, Aksyonov. That is, if the harvest fails, then farmers can count on assistance from the budget. In addition, sugar beets, which are grown for seed, may be at risk. It is now in bloom and needs frequent watering.

As for the long-term solution to the problem, the local authorities intend to maintain the water level in the North Crimean Canal with the help of pumps that will be installed on the Dnieper River. “Supplying water volumes of up to 40 cubic meters per second to the North Crimean Canal will allow us to ensure full land reclamation on the territory of the Republic of Crimea. All this is possible to do, technically quite simple. It is not necessary to pull pipelines for a long distance. The most expensive is the equipment that will be installed on the Dnieper River,” Aksenov shared.

Judging by social networks, local residents are calm about reports of possible problems with the water supply of Crimea. They are used to that sort of thing. MK talked about this situation with a political scientist from the Crimea, Alexander Talipov:

– In Crimea now there are no problems with drinking water supply. This year turned out to be very rainy, reservoirs provide 100% of the needs of the population. Technical reservoirs, which are necessary for irrigation of farmland, are also filled. Therefore, the only negative point that can be is the rice fields, which need a lot of water.

But to say that there will definitely not be a harvest would be premature. The water level in the reservoirs does not fall, and there are no interruptions. As for other cultures, they are definitely not threatened. During the eight years of the blockade, the inhabitants learned to overcome obstacles and grow less whimsical crops. Such as corn, for example. So there is hope. At least the weather is definitely on our side – it rains all May and June in Crimea.

About how the temporary absence of the irrigation system will affect the productivity of the peninsula, “MK” learned from the director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science “Research Institute of Agriculture of the Crimea”, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Vladimir Pashtetsky.

– How do Crimean farmers manage without the North Crimean Canal?

– Crimea is the territory where there were problems with precipitation and water supply both 100 and 300 years ago, when Catherine II came here. Therefore, they built the North Crimean Canal. It was the main source for providing 500 thousand cubic meters of drinking water for 9 reservoirs, as well as attracting the north of Crimea to agriculture. When the canal was built, it could irrigate 460,000 hectares, but by 2014, only 130,000 hectares were under cultivation. From this point of view, the channel became unprofitable.

Do you still have problems with lack of water?

– Eight years Crimea has lived without water on its own reserves. The average gross yield was 26.4 centners per hectare. To date, without water, the average yield has increased by 2 centners per hectare. The lack of water didn’t matter. Yes, there will be a problem with animal husbandry, we need proteins and soybeans. There are problems here. But I do not think that something terrible has happened, and everything will be done as it should be done within a year.

What about the harvest of special crops?

– Special crops – rice, corn and soybeans – left the rotation 8 years ago. But today Crimea is provided with water for a year and a half ahead, so I don’t see any problems in the next year. We have learned how to use non-irrigated land for agriculture, and the replacement of crops with drought-resistant crops has allowed agriculture to develop.

– What should those victims who, for example, grew rice, do?

– The victims who sowed the fields with rice, soybeans or sugar beets, as the head of the Crimea Sergey Aksenov has already said, will be compensated for everything. Water does not enter the channel – this is obvious. But I don’t see any problem with that. Agriculture has not yet managed to plan for this water. A lot of money had to be invested in the re-equipment of water supply systems. 4-5 thousand hectares should have been irrigated within three years, but these are trifles, when 8 years ago there were 130-140 thousand.

I, as a person who has been engaged in science for 18 years and is connected with agriculture, do not even pay attention to current problems. I know the vaults are full. Enough water for people to drink. Crimea and the country will have money to drive water into the river delta and send it to us.