Ukrainian Official Claims Crimean Authorities Wrecked the Waterworks

The governor of the Kherson region Yurii Odarchenko claimed the occupation authorities in Crimea wrecked the installations of the North Crimean canal. 

According to Odarchenko, quoted by the wire agency Ukrinform, said they seized the canal and tried to draw water from open reservoirs, but wrecked the installations instead. 

“The new authorities filled the services with incompetent people, who wrecked the installations and now it is impossible to use the canal to deliver drinking water to Crimea, even though the Ukrainian authorities are willing to do so,” Odarchenko said. 

The North Crimean canal is the largest hydrological installation in Europe and delivers water from the Dnieper river to the Kherson region and Crimea. Nearly 85% of the sweet water in Crimea was delivered via this canal.

The Ukrainian authorities shut down the water deliveries to Crimea on April 22, which prompted Russia to ask the Organization for Security and Cooperation to demand the lifting of the water blockade.

Meanwhile, the Crimean authorities tried solving the water problem by diverting water from the Buyuk Qarasuv river.