The Russian authorities have joined in solving problems with reservoirs in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

In May of this year, the reservoirs on the Crimean Autonomous Republic's territory lost 11 million cubic meters of water. Currently, their total volume is 166 million cubic meters, which is about 50% of the maximum volume. A year earlier, the Crimean reservoirs were 75% full. Local "scientists", including those from the "Crimean Federal University", openly reported this. This was recently written about in "Voice of Crimea".

According to the statistics of the occupation regime, in 2023 the volume of water reserves amounted to 221 million cubic meters and reached almost 87%, in 2022, with the beginning of the high-water period, it reached 228 million cubic meters and exceeded 90%. In 2021, the volume of reservoirs was 85 million cubic meters and decreased to 33%, which was one of the lowest indicators in 40 years of observations (the maximum filling was 242 million cubic meters, i.e. 96%, and the minimum, in 1994, was 62 million cubic meters, up to 24%).

In May of this year, the inflows to the Ayansky, Simferopol, and Partizansky reservoirs, which supply Simferopol, clearly demonstrate a trend towards decreasing reserves. In particular, the inflow to the Ayansky reservoir amounted to 467 thousand cubic meters (average value – 988 thousand), to Simferopol – 1 million 168 thousand (average value – 3 million 248 thousand), Partizansky – 606 thousand (average value – 3 million 646 thousand). According to assumptions, the inflows in 2026–2027 will be even smaller.

Recently, “Chairwoman of the Committee of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea on Ecology and Natural Resources” Svetlana Shabelnikova reported that the level of providing the TOT AR Crimea with clean drinking water during the current holiday season will be 60%. 

Given these and other problems with water supply in the TOT AR Crimea, on June 7, the head of the Federal Agency for Water Resources (“Rosvodresursy”) Dmitry Kirillov arrived in the occupied region on a “working visit” and led a delegation that inspected the sites of future construction of new reservoirs.

The first location of the trip was the territory on the Marta River in the Bakhchisarai district, where it is planned to build a reservoir with a capacity of 6.5 million cubic meters, designed to provide water supply to Yalta and its environs. 

The second reservoir, with a capacity of 8.5 million cubic meters, which is to provide water to Alushta, is planned to be built on the East Ulu-Uzen River near the village of Sonyachnohirskoye. Currently, design work at the stage of developing basic technical solutions for both reservoirs is 70% complete, their construction is due to begin in 2027 and will probably last until 2030. 

Earlier, the “head of Crimea” Sergei Aksenov promised that construction of these reservoirs would begin in 2025.

The third point of inspection was the reservoir in the city of Stary Krym, which was put into operation in 1956, after the transfer of Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR, and currently requires major repairs, as its hydraulic structures are in unsatisfactory condition.

During a meeting with representatives of Rosvodresurs, the “Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea” Yuriy Gotsanyuk announced that, thanks to timely measures, it was allegedly possible to reduce the water shortage in eastern Crimea and other regions of the occupied peninsula. In addition, he added that measures to repair and upgrade municipal facilities are being carried out on an ongoing basis. Thus, since last year, major repairs of the domestic and drinking water supply system in Armyansk and emergency sections of water supply systems in Yevpatoria have been “completed”. In Kerch and the village of Heroivske, construction and reconstruction of water supply networks with a length of 53 km are underway.

The main measure in eastern Crimea is the construction of a water supply route from the Nizhynsky, Prostornensky and Novogrigorievske water intakes, the construction readiness of which is 85%.