23. Sep. 2020
A grant from the Grundfos Foundation will ensure drinking water for the city of Zhytomyr in Ukraine.

This summer, the 265,000 citizens of Zhytomyr were at the brink of being left without water, since the city’s water artery – the Teteriv River – dried up due to lack of precipitation (no rains and snowless winter).

Zhytomyr receives water from the Teteriv River, on which two reservoirs are located. The upper Denishovske flows into the lower Vidsichne, and it is from the latter that the water canal takes water. For the first time in the history of observations and their fixation there is such a low water level in both reservoirs due to lack of precipitation and quite warm the autumn-winter period.

“Teteriv was originally a larger river, but now it is growing shallow. Many rivers in different localities actually dried out. People complain that water disappears in the wells, that is, not only the water level in the rivers, but also the groundwater drops.“

Water has been rationed to keep consumption as low as possible, but as the inhabitants also suffer from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased need for functioning water and sanitation, something had to be done to mitigate the situation.

Video: Water for Zhytomyr from Poul Due Jensen Foundation on Vimeo.

The Foundation is happy to be able to support the citizens of Zhytomyr in their efforts to  secure their precious water reserves, well aware that the solution may not be sustainable in the long-term due to the challenges of climate change.