There is no quality drinking water in the Donbass - the Minister

The Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Vadym Chernysh stated that there is no quality drinking water in the Donbass in an interview with Interfax-Ukraina.

He said: "It is necessary to talk about two aspects: the quality of water and access to it".

According to him, there is a problem of a high level of mineralization of water.

"In the Soviet times, existing water supply schemes for different settlements were built on the basis of scientific achievements of the time, but they are already outdated. Now the level of impurities in the water is very high, and there is no quality drinking water in the region", - he said.

At the same time, he said that part of the Yuzhnodonbass water treatment plant, which delivers water from the Siverskiy Donets to Mariupol, passes through uncontrolled territory.

"Water supplies have decreased, apparently, there are damages, but we cannot evaluate or eliminate them. The result is that the water supply system is inefficient: water supply and electricity are wasted, water quality is decreasing", - Chernysh said.

According to him, water supplies to Mariupol have fallen to a very low level, and the city may have a need for drinking water, and the one that is supplied there is of poor quality. "There may be a shortage, but this does not mean that people will remain completely without water", - the Minister said.

Chernysh noted that Mariupol has several sources of water supply. "Alternatives are other reservoirs, in particular the one in Pavlopil, but they are gradually depleted. The situation will be especially difficult if summer and autumn are arid", - he said.