Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: The state’s water management sector excels in cutting-edge technologies and water treatment expertise.
Ukraine urgently needs its water management systems to be rebuilt and modernized.
The country needs €40 billion ($43 billion USD) by 2032 for water-related projects alone as a result of the continuing Russian attacks, which included destruction of the Kachowka Dam in 2023.
Numerous projects already are underway, such as mobile water treatment plants being built and donated by other European countries to provide local communities with safe drinking water. For example, Ireland has shipped three of the mobile units to Ukraine. Each unit is capable of providing 1.6 million one-liter bottles of clean water per day, according to Galway Daily news service.
In April 2023, the European Investment Bank, the bank of the European Union, approved an additional €20 million ($22 million USD) loan to expand the water supply and drainage system in Mykolaiv, in southern Ukraine. The drinking water situation in that area is among the most critical in the country, according to Nova Ukraine, a California-based nonprofit dedicated to providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. In 2022, Russian attacks hit Mykolaiv’s two main pipelines that provided fresh water from the Dnipro River, and tap water is still not safe to use for drinking or cooking.
An October 2023 report by WAREG, the European water regulators organization, listed Ukraine as No. 32 of 40 countries in its availability of drinking water. In addition to damage from the Russian invasion, Ukraine already was at a disadvantage with outdated water supply stations and sewage treatment facilities, the report said. WAREG also said the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in June 2023 unleashed “a cascade of unprecedented consequences,” including the collapse of crucial hydraulic structures that decimated the water supply to a broad area.
Wisconsin’s expertise in the water industry could provide some assistance. Businesses in the water management sector could supply important technology, services, and partnerships to help rebuild Ukraine’s water systems.
