Water shortage in Crimea: will financial injections help? Closing the canal to Crimea threatens disaster for the Kherson region. To Crimea by water

Gevorg Mirzayan, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation

The water issue remains one of Crimea's biggest problems after its reunification with Russia. The other day, this was recalled by the environmental disaster in Armyansk, as well as Ukraine’s attempt to exploit this problem for its own propaganda purposes.

The Crimean authorities, of course, urge not to overestimate the scale of the water problem. "Even in high season when he comes to Crimea great amount vacationers, no interruptions drinking water No. As for the water that enterprises and agricultural producers use, we have learned to save, we have learned to use drip irrigation technology, we have learned to distribute water correctly,” explained Alexey Chernyak, Chairman of the Standing Commission of the State Council of Crimea on the sanatorium-resort complex and tourism. However, savings and drip irrigation clearly not enough to maintain the large volumes of agricultural production for which the peninsula was famous. “This problem has completely stopped the production of rice and other crops, for example, sugar beets, and fodder crops in sufficient quantities for livestock,” explains Academician of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Doctor of Technical Sciences Yuri Lachuga.

It was not possible to solve this problem in 4 years, and now it has led to an environmental disaster at the Crimean Titan plant - due to the shallowing of the enterprise’s acid storage tank, the concentration of remaining acids has increased and the evaporation of various chemicals into the atmosphere. Regional authorities were forced to close the plant. Yes, the enterprise itself (owned by Ukrainian owners) will pay almost 737 million rubles for environmental damage - but the problem will remain. Even if the Crimean Titan is nationalized.

Crimea must be toxic

The optimal solution to the problem would, of course, be the resumption of water supply from Ukraine through the North Crimean Canal - however, in Kyiv they are demanding that Ukrainian sovereignty over the peninsula be first recognized. “If there is such a desire, then first we need to turn to Ukraine and recognize the fact of the occupation of Crimea. Without this, there is nothing to talk about at all,” said Deputy Minister for “temporarily occupied” territories Yuriy Grymchak. In Crimea, of course, they are twirling their finger at their temple. "To recognize the occupation, there must be a fact of occupation. The Crimeans made their free choice in a referendum held according to international standards. There is nothing to recognize here. These are their (Kyiv) dreams that history will go backwards. It won’t. We speak the language of threats with Crimea and Russia We won’t allow it,” says Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Polonsky. That is why Ukrainian officials say that there will be no water supplies. “We will not give this water at any cost, because the population does not need this water. It is needed by enterprises located in the occupied territory, and they will not receive this water,” Boris Babin, “permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea,” explains Kiev’s point of view. “There will be no negotiations, no attempts in small steps to bring us under the supply of this water... This is the state position, we know the position of the president on this issue, Crimea must be toxic for the aggressor state.”

Elections, elections...

Some Russian experts explain Kyiv’s commitment to principle by the desire to return the peninsula not by washing, but by skiing. “Those living there are positioned in the media as second-class citizens. This means that official Kyiv does not set the goal of winning the sympathy of the population. It's about about the return of territories without people - such a medieval approach,” says Ukrainian political scientist Andrei Zolotarev. However, sensible people are still sitting on Bankova, and they understand that they will not get Crimea - neither with people nor without them. Therefore, it is very likely that The goal of the current policy is not so much the desire to return the peninsula, but to use it to raise the rating of the current Ukrainian government.

As you know, Petro Poroshenko is harshly criticized in Ukraine for his constant defeats in the “hybrid war” with Putin. Russia built a bridge - Poroshenko lost it. Russia created obstacles to Ukrainian shipping in the Sea of Azov - Poroshenko lost his nerve. Russia has given the green light to holding elections in the DPR and LPR, and is also building Nord Stream 2 - Poroshenko is wiping himself out. It may seem to some for a second that Ukraine, under the leadership of the current mace-bearer, is completely losing the “war with the aggressor state.” And if Poroshenko now opens the North Crimean Canal, he could put an end to his re-election.

However, the problem is that the population of Ukraine itself is suffering from the environmental disaster caused by Kiev - the authorities of some districts of the Kherson region have already been forced to evacuate children. So Ukrainian officials come up with versions that in fact the problem is not in the water, but in the actions of Russia. According to one of the Ukrainian versions, the disaster was the result of a shell hitting the settling tank during Russian military exercises. According to another, it was about direct sabotage on the part of Russia “with the aim of creating a large-scale information campaign against Ukraine to destabilize the situation in the south of the Kherson region by organizing spontaneous rallies of local residents dissatisfied with the environmental situation on both sides of the administrative border with demands to unblock the dam on the North Crimean Canal and restore the water supply to Crimea to stop the man-made disaster in the region."

Through a Turkish pipe?

What can Moscow do in this situation? You can, of course, push through Kyiv and still try to force it to supply water to the canal. For example, withdraw from an agreement Sea of Azov and declare that from now on, in order to sign documents for the passage of Ukrainian ships through belonging to Russia Kerch Strait The border guard must first wash his hands in this water. It is high time for Ukraine to be taught how to conduct affairs in a civilized manner, and the Azov inspections of ships turned out to be a very effective lesson.

However, at the same time, we need to try to find alternative solutions, and this does not involve drilling additional artesian wells (ecologists are already warning that this will lead to an even greater disaster). Perhaps it is worth returning to the project to build a huge water pipeline from the Kuban and study the Turkish experience in this regard (Ankara built a similar water pipeline to Northern Cyprus). Yes, it is difficult, yes, it is expensive, but the two million Crimeans who made their choice in favor of Russia are worthy of such a project. And this is not to mention the fact that Moscow needs to turn Crimea into a kind of development standard that the rest of the regions of Ukraine would envy. We were jealous and would like to join.

“By declaring a “water blockade of Crimea,” Ukraine thereby put the Kherson region on the brink of an environmental disaster,” writes Sergei Aleksandrov in his LiveJournal. “At first, of course, everything seemed fine in Ukraine, but such changes do not appear in a week, and for a year, and now, almost five years after the start of the “blockade,” its results made themselves felt.

In Crimea, in order to compensate for the lack of water that previously flowed through the North Crimean Canal, many wells of different depths were drilled, from which significant water is withdrawn; naturally, this led to a decrease in the groundwater level in the Kherson region.

“Due to their dementia and incompetence, the incompetent government caused damage not only to Crimea, but also to the territory under their control... When the water begins to stagnate, groundwater rises and shallows. Villages located in the lowlands have already been overtaken by flooding: in vegetable gardens and there is water in the cellars, which destroys the fertile layer of the soil, which promises real environmental disaster for the central part of Europe." As for the villages on the hills and their surroundings, the rise of groundwater there leads to increased evaporation, which actually causes soil salinization.

According to the Resort Information Center

You can get to Crimea using one of the following methods:

1. using air travel
2. by ferry or catamaran
3. by rail
4. by car

So, let's take a closer look at each of the modes of transportation.

How to get to Crimea by plane? Air traffic with Crimea in 2014.

In June 2014, air service was established between Simferopol and 24 cities Russian Federation. In the plans, international Airport"Simferopol" will receive guests of Crimea from 37 cities, including from other countries, in particular Turkey and Uzbekistan. Today, more than 20 airlines are involved in flights to Crimea. Among such companies is Dobrolet, which is a low-cost airline and a subsidiary of Aeroflot. An air ticket Moscow - Simferopol with Dobrolet will cost from 1 thousand rubles. Prices for flights on the route Moscow - Simferopol - Moscow, thanks to some legislative initiatives, are 20-30% lower than market prices. Every day Dobrolet operates 4 flights in the Crimean direction.

In addition to Dobrolet, the Federal Air Transport Agency has entered into agreements for flights at a special tariff, providing for significant discounts in ticket prices (subsidized), with airlines operating flights from 12 Russian cities.
Below we present list of cities from which planes fly to Simferopol(note: not all airlines offer subsidized or low-cost fares):
* Arkhangelsk
* Ekaterinburg
* Irkutsk
* Kazan
* Kaliningrad
* Kemerovo
* Kirov
* Krasnoyarsk
* Moscow
* Nizhnevartovsk
* Nizhny Novgorod
* Novosibirsk
* Samara
* Saint Petersburg
* Surgut
* Tomsk
* Tyumen
* Ufa
* Chelyabinsk
This list may not be complete, since the geography of flights is constantly expanding. Current information for passengers you can look at the website of Simferopol Airport

How to get to Crimea by water? Water communication with Crimea: ferry or catamaran

The ferry service between the ports of Kavkaz and Crimea has been completely reoriented for passenger transportation. This decision allowed to increase the crossing capacity. Unfortunately, this did not save us from queues forever, however, the absence of trucks significantly reduced the wait for boarding. 4 passenger ferries: “Yeysk”, “Nikolay Aksenenko”, “Ionas” and “Kerch 2”, make 20 return trips every day. If you travel by bus, there is a queue for this type of transport. Buses operating on the “multimodal system” pass without a queue.
The cost of the ferry crossing is:
1) for passenger cars from 1200 rubles to 2.5 thousand rubles, depending on the car;
2) for passengers 162 rubles for each passenger, including the driver;
3) for children under 6 years old a ticket costs 2 rubles, for children from 6 to 12 years old a ticket costs 81 rubles, for children over 12 years old a ticket costs 162 rubles.
You can view current information about the conditions and cost of transportation on the carrier’s official website (link will open in a new window).

In addition to the already operating ferry crossing in Kerch, a car-passenger ferry along the new route Novorossiysk - Sevastopol will be launched in July. Travel time will be approximately a day. However, according to the governor of Sevastopol, this is still better than standing in line. We think that this can be justified, especially if you are planning a vacation in cities located closer to Sevastopol.

To get to Crimean peninsula You can also use the high-speed catamarans "Sochi-1" and "Sochi-2", which from June 1st run from Anapa to Yalta with a stop in Feodosia. Catamarans operate one trip per day.
Time and cost of traveling by catamarans see below:
* The catamaran leaves the port of Anapa at 14.00 - arrives at the port of Feodosia at 17.15, and at 17.45 departs for Yalta - arrives at the port of Yalta at 20.45.
* The next day, the catamaran leaves the port of Yalta at 7.30 - arrives at the port of Feodosia at 10.30, and departs for Anapa at 11.00 - arrives at the port of Anapa at 14.15.

1) Ticket price Anapa - Yalta: for children under 6 years old - free of charge, for children from 6 to 12 years old 1350 rubles, for children over 12 years old and adults 2700 rubles.
2) Ticket price Anapa - Feodosia: for children under 6 years old - free of charge, for children from 6 to 12 years old 750 rubles, for children over 12 years old and adults 1500 rubles.
3) Ticket price Feodosia - Yalta: for children under 6 years old - free of charge, for children from 6 to 12 years old 600 rubles, for children over 12 years old and adults 1200 rubles.
You can view current information about the conditions and cost of transportation (link will open in a new window).

How to get to Crimea by train?

You can still get to Crimea using the services of railway carriers. Trains running across the territory of Ukraine operate according to the established schedule, without changes. Every day about 20 trains arrive in Crimea from Ukraine.

In August, plans are to launch a direct route Moscow - Simferopol, which will follow the ferry crossing to Kerch. According to preliminary data, tickets will cost from 2800 to 5200 rubles, and the travel time will be about 45 hours.
The train will be staffed reserved seat carriages, compartment cars and sleeping car. Presumably, the train will depart from Moscow at 8 pm and arrive in Simferopol at 5 pm the next day. The main stations through which the route will run will be: Rostov-on-Don, Ryazan, Lipetsk, Voronezh.
Rail passenger transportation experts believe that this route will be as comfortable as the route offered using a “single ticket” (“multimodal” system), information about which is presented below.

With a "single ticket" You can get to Crimea and, in particular, resort cities: Simferopol, Sevastopol, Kerch, Feodosia, Sudak, Yalta, Evpatoria. The proposed “multimodal” system combines rail, sea and road transport. By purchasing " single ticket"at any railway ticket office, you just need to provide your passport and pay for the service.
You can view current information about ticket sales locations, schedules and transport departure points (link will open in a new window).

Motorists can still travel to Crimea by private car. To enjoy the Black Sea, you will need: 1. Apply for a Green Card or Osago; 2. Buy a voluntary insurance policy for the car in the configuration that you consider optimal for yourself. And, go ahead!
Depending on which side you plan to enter the peninsula from, this is the method of transportation you will use. If you are traveling to Crimea from Ukraine, you can choose: enter the peninsula through Armyansk (Krasnoperekopsky district) or through Chongar (Genichesk district, Kherson region). Go through customs control. Continue along your chosen route to your vacation spot. Maps, navigator and GPS coordinates will help you :) If you go to Crimea from Russia, without entering the territory of Ukraine, then ferry service- exactly what will suit you in addition to maps and a navigator. We have already written above about the method of traveling by ferry. In any case, be prepared, you may have to wait in line. But do you want to go to the sea? Then go to Crimea with a smile, no matter what!

Well, now you know more than one way to get to Crimea, which means you can easily come on vacation to Popovka, and to us, at the “Ark” villa. Read more about how to get to Popovka from Evpatoria, Simferopol or another city.

We wish you a pleasant trip and look forward to your vacation in Crimea!

The Russian government will spend 19 billion rubles, said Deputy Head of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development Sergei Nazarov. According to the official, a three-stage program to reduce water deficit will be implemented in the next three years. It provides for the creation of infrastructure to supply the eastern regions of the peninsula from three underground sources in its central part.

Meanwhile, the First Crimean TV channel reports that the locals are empty. The journalists’ story says: the shore of the Simferopol reservoir now has a different “pattern” - the land areas have become larger. Locals They are wary of the changes, but the Russian authorities on the peninsula assure that the situation is not critical. According to the deputy head of the Russian-controlled State Committee for Water Management and Land Reclamation Andrey Lisovsky, the volumes of water in the reservoir correspond to the long-term average.

Russian independent expert, candidate of geological and mineralogical sciences Yuri Medovar I am convinced that exploiting Crimea’s groundwater is not a solution.

Using groundwater for reclamation purposes is a crime and is a very expensive pleasure.

Yuri Medovar

– I have said more than once that the 21st century is the century of wars for water. Lacks water resources not only in Crimea, but throughout the world. The North Crimean Canal once gave the peninsula a second life. One Crimean organization approached us with a request for help regarding groundwater, I am an expert on it. But the fact is that using them for land reclamation purposes is a crime; it is a very expensive pleasure. There is not much clean groundwater in Crimea; due to their development, brackish water is drawn up from below, which cannot be drunk. In addition, the soil does not receive enough nutrition from below, which is why it transforms into those same famous Crimean salt marshes on which nothing grows. Experts told me that they would build an aqueduct: that is, how Kerch Bridge, only water will flow from above. Where will you get water from? They say from Kuban. But the Don is getting shallower, so the south of Russia can be dehydrated.

Yuri Medovar notes that in such conditions, desalination of seawater becomes a completely realistic option.

– Most high technology in this area, Israel - they desalinate water from Mediterranean Sea almost drinkable. Mineralization and salinity – less than one gram per liter. We don’t have such a desalination plant, and for this we also need a large number of electricity, which Crimea also has a problem with. Wherever you throw it, there’s a wedge everywhere. It turns out that the only way out is to provide water from the Dnieper, but the North Crimean Canal is dry, it is being destroyed. You can allocate not 19, but 190 billion, but if there is no water, where will it come from?

Deputy Director of the Institute of Water Problems and Land Reclamation, former First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian State Water Resources Agency Mikhail Yatsyuk draws attention to another aspect of the Russian program, but also gives negative forecasts.

Money is most likely allocated to search for sources and engineering solutions for the accumulation of wastewater. But this will not only lead to soil degradation, but will also have a negative impact on the environment.

– In the central part of Crimea there is not enough water to meet all needs. I carefully read the documents - there is more sense in the additional accumulation of wastewater in the central part, where it is possible to build additional reservoirs or reservoirs in order to then transfer water to the East of Crimea. This money will most likely be allocated to the search for additional sources and engineering solutions for the accumulation of wastewater. But again, this will not only lead to soil degradation, but will also have a negative impact on the environment. Each river or water intake area has a resource that can be withdrawn, and this will not lead to negative consequences. If it is completely accumulated, it will lead to serious violations of the ecological situation in river basins.