Economy

Drinking water for Mykolaiv: what about the construction of a new water supply system

In March of this year, Autostrada began a large-scale construction of a new water pipeline with a water intake on the Southern Bug River in the New Odesa area. The construction is scheduled to be completed in 5 months – in August. This was announced today on Facebook by the owner of the company, Maxim Shkil, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.

He reminded that today is exactly three years since Mykolaiv was left without centralized drinking water. As you know, in April 2022, Russian troops destroyed the water pipeline that supplied Mykolaiv with drinking water from the Dnipro.

How the water supply system is being built

The active phase of work on the first section started in March, and work on the second and third sections began in April.

The Autostrada Design Institute develops technical solutions that the construction units immediately implement.

“We work according to the DESIGN&BUILD principle, which ensures full synchronization of engineers and builders and significantly reduces the execution time. No subcontractors – only internal resources. At the same time, Autostrada’s production base operates 24/7 at the water supply system construction site: concrete and asphalt plants, laboratory complexes. More than 1,000 employees and hundreds of pieces of equipment are involved, and we work around the clock,” says Maksym Shkil.

According to him, this approach ensures full control over the processes, strict adherence to schedules and maximum efficiency in the use of budget resources.

The scope of work to be done

The total length of the new water supply network is 67.8 km. The first section of the water supply system is 18.4 km long. The second one is 22.9 km long. The third one is 26.5 km long. The route includes 3 water pumping stations equipped with powerful pumping units (from 640 to 800 kW).

The total cost of the water pipeline construction, including additional works, amounted to UAH 6.227 billion, which is more than UAH 2.5 billion less than the initial estimate of UAH 8.8 billion.

The route is being laid outside of settlements or along their outskirts, which allows us to preserve the existing infrastructure and complete the work faster and without unnecessary complications for local residents.

How the new water supply system will work

Water will be taken from the Pivdennyi Buh River through four gravity pipes with a diameter of 1000 mm and a length of more than 700 meters each. The water intake system is equipped with a preliminary mechanical filtration system and ultrasonic protection to prevent water bioresources from entering the pipeline. The water will then be supplied by the first lift pumping station, which will ensure its transportation to a height of 104 meters to the next pumping station, the second lift pumping station. From there, the water will be sent to the third pumping station, which will ensure its supply to the chambers of Mykolaiv’s water treatment facilities. After passing through all stages of treatment, the water will be distributed to end users.

The design capacity of the water pipeline will allow transporting 120,000 m³ of water per day for the city of Mykolaiv and 50,000 m³ for the reclamation system of Nova Odesa and Mykolaiv district.

The main and backup power supply lines are being constructed to ensure the stable operation of the water supply system. It is also planned to build transformer substations and install backup power sources. All pumping stations and power grids are located in protected areas for safety during shelling.

How the city waited for the construction of a new water supply system

As a reminder, in April 2022, Russian troops attacked the Dnipro-Mykolaiv water supply system in the Kherson region, leaving the city without drinking water. In May, the city’s water supply system began to be filled with process water from the Southern Bug River. Some wells were also connected to the city’s network.

The technical solution for Mykolaiv was to supply water from the Ingulets River. The government has provided funding for a stable supply of technical water to Mykolaiv through this route.

However, the long-term solution to the problem was the construction of a water intake from the Southern Bug River and a main water supply system to the regional center.

As of April 2024, experts had identified water intakes that could be used and developed a feasibility study.

Last September, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the approval of the relevant government program. The estimated cost of the project is about UAH 8.8 billion. The Ministry of Communities and Territories Development was instructed to identify sources of funding and start work on the “Design and Build” principle at the expense of the Fund for Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression.

But not everything is so simple

In November 2024, the Service for Infrastructure Restoration and Development in Mykolaiv Oblast ordered the construction of a water intake from the Pivdennyi Buh River and a main water supply pipeline to supply water to the city of Mykolaiv for a total cost of UAH 7.44 billion and conducted procurement without open bidding due to the urgent need.

However, on April 11, MikVisti reported that the Service for Infrastructure Restoration and Development in Mykolaiv Oblast had terminated three contracts with contractors who were supposed to build a new water supply system for Mykolaiv for UAH 7.3 billion.

On April 7, the respective additional agreements on termination of contracts were signed with Avtostrada, Ukrtransmist, and Rostdorstroy, MykVisti reports, citing data from the ProZorro public procurement system. The publication published screenshots of additional agreements. It indicates that the contracts concluded with contractors for the construction of the water pipeline were terminated by agreement of the parties.

“MikVisti” also notes that as of the morning of April 11, there are no new tenders and contracts for the construction of water supply sections for Mykolaiv from the Regional Infrastructure Restoration and Development Service in the ProZorro public procurement system.

So who is continuing the construction, which is shown in the photo, and most importantly, on what terms?