Representatives of Smart solution at the All-Ukrainian Water Conference.

The environmental team of the Smart solution took part in the industry conference ‘Water Restoration as a Concept for Sustainable Development of Ukraine’, organised by the Ukrainian Water Association with the assistance of the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine and the Government of Finland.

The conference is part of a series of events to discuss the availability of water resources in Ukraine in the context of a full-scale war. The first meeting was held on 29 January 2024, entitled ‘Restoring water supply in Ukraine: sustainable solutions and humanitarian assistance’ at the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine in Kyiv.

The second roundtable was held on 17 April 2024 in Brussels at the initiative of the European Commission for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO Brussels) under the title ‘Water supply in Ukraine in times of war: response, recovery and resilience’.

Leonid Bytsyura, CEO of Smart solution, moderated the first section of the discussion ‘The current state of water resources management in Ukraine’ with the participation of the heads of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the Ministry of Community Development, the State Agency of Water Resources and the Institute of Water Problems and Land Reclamation of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

‘The water issue is quite complicated for our country. The severe consequences of Russia's military aggression have added to the climatic problems of water shortages. At present, due to the damage to energy, water supply and sewage facilities, the availability of water for the population and enterprises has deteriorated significantly. At the same time, a number of water management issues remain unresolved: proper water accounting, minimisation of losses during transportation, overall reduction of GDP water intensity, improvement of the efficiency of irrigation and watering systems, and streamlining of the water management system.

At the same time, even in times of war, Ukraine is in the process of transforming its water policy in line with European integration requirements. The Water Strategy of Ukraine until 2050 has been adopted, relevant legislation has been updated, and the procedure for discussing River Basin Management Plans is nearing completion, which, among other things, provide for a number of measures at the community and regional levels, including the reconstruction of sewage treatment plants, water supply facilities, landfills, and much more,’ said Leonid Bytsyura.

Water supply to the affected areas of Ukraine, especially in the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, remains an important issue. The conference focused on successful models of public water management in Israel and Finland, as well as on the possibilities of using the latest technologies to preserve and optimise water resources.