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Life in Ukraine

How Mykolaiv Endures a Water Crisis, in Photos

How Mykolaiv Endures a Water Crisis

For more than two years, Mykolaiv has survived without a centralized drinking water supply—another crisis caused by Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.

3 min read
Authors
Mykyta Shandyba
Photographer

Since April 2022, when Russian forces destroyed the Dnipro-Mykolaiv water pipeline, the city has been forced to use water from the Southern Buh River—a source that provides salty, mineral-heavy water unfit for drinking or household use. It corrodes pipes, wrecks appliances, and leaves thick white deposits on everything it touches. As a result, Mykolaiv residents have had to adapt to a new reality, where fetching water has become a part of their daily routine.

Locals stroll past the ruins of the Mykolaiv Shipyard Admiralty Building, bombed-out by Russians. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.
Locals stroll past the ruins of the Mykolaiv Shipyard Admiralty Building, bombed-out by Russians. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.

Surviving without proper water supply has been a challenge for the entire city. To ensure that people receive at least a minimal amount of drinking water, around 250 stationary distribution points have been set up across Mykolaiv. Here, residents can collect purified water delivered by tankers. However, even this is not enough, so mobile distribution points also operate in the city.

An elderly woman pauses to catch her breath. The cart of water isn’t too heavy, but the constant trips to get some water wear her down. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.
An elderly woman pauses to catch her breath. The cart of water isn’t too heavy, but the constant trips to get some water wear her down. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.

Every day, specially equipped trams and trolleybuses with large tanks follow designated routes, bringing drinking water to residents in remote areas. People—mostly the elderly—arrive early, waiting with empty bottles and canisters in hand. These mobile water carriers have become a symbol of life in Mykolaiv—they arrive where water is needed most.

To avoid multiple trips, an elderly woman hauls dozens of liters of water in one go. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.
To avoid multiple trips, an elderly woman hauls dozens of liters of water in one go. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.
A mobile water distribution unit. This bus can deliver over half a ton of water in a single run. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.
A mobile water distribution unit. This bus can deliver over half a ton of water in a single run. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.
New water distribution points keep popping up across the city, easing the burden on those forced to walk kilometers for drinking water. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.
New water distribution points keep popping up across the city, easing the burden on those forced to walk kilometers for drinking water. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.

“We’ve already gotten used to it,” says Olha, a pensioner who comes to a distribution point daily. “The most important thing is that they bring water. We can’t do without it.”

What flows from Mykolaiv’s taps can hardly be called water. Pulled straight from the river, it’s too corrosive for washing dishes or doing laundry. High salinity ruins household appliances, coats bathtubs and kettles with thick white residue, and clogs pipes so badly that repair crews are in a constant battle to replace them.

A trolleybus driver hooks up the hoses and starts the water flow. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.
A trolleybus driver hooks up the hoses and starts the water flow. Photo: Mykyta Shandyba.

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