Water charges in Mykolaiv will be increased once the water is safe to drink, says Sienkevych

The Mykolaivvodokanal building. Photo: NikVesti

In Mykolaiv, the water supply tariff will remain at the 2019 level for the time being. Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych explained that the city authorities are not raising it because the water utility cannot guarantee the supply of fully treated water to all consumers.

Oleksandr Sienkevych made these remarks during a meeting of the executive committee of the Mykolaiv City Council on 23 September, according to NikVesti.

According to the mayor, the water supply system’s new treatment facilities are already operational; however, pipe flushing is currently underway, which means the city cannot yet guarantee a stable supply of fully treated water to all consumers.

«We are deliberately not raising the water supply tariff today; it remains at the 2019 level. At present, whilst the new system is operational, the pipes are still being flushed and so on — we cannot guarantee a supply of fully treated water to everyone for some time yet. Therefore, until this happens, the water tariff will not change,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.

At the same time, the mayor noted that it is financially difficult for the city to maintain the tariff at this level. According to him, the city budget allocates around 50 million hryvnias every month to support «Mykolaivvodokanal» in order to cover the company’s financial shortfall.

Oleksandr Sienkevych explained that the water utility’s costs have risen, in particular due to paying for electricity at market prices and staff salaries, which reflect current levels rather than the 2019 tariffs.

«At present, we are subsidising the company from the budget. Instead of paying salaries, utility bills and carrying out routine repairs, we are currently allocating funds to the water utility to bridge the financial shortfall,» the mayor noted.

According to the mayor, a decision has now been taken to increase the sewage tariff, as this service is not dependent on water quality.

«We are simply struggling to cope at the moment and must at least raise the sewage tariff. The sewage system operates with any quality of water, which is why we have taken this decision,» he noted.

It should be recalled that, following a decision by the executive committee, the sewage tariff in Mykolaiv will rise by 24 hryvnias from 1 October. It will amount to 41.25 hryvnias per cubic metre.

Previously, the director of the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivvodokanal», Hennadiy Izyumov, promised that the water supply tariff for the public would remain unchanged until the end of 2026.

Previously, the then head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim, had promised to do everything possible to ensure that the tariff for centralised drinking water supply for Mykolaiv residents did not rise.

For his part , the mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, noted that the city now pays for water from the new water main via a meter, which may affect the tariff for consumers. The water utility has stated that, following the launch of the new treatment facilities, the water tariff for Mykolaiv could reach up to 100 hryvnias per cubic metre.

Oleksandr Sienkevych also pointed out that the current water tariff for the population does not cover the operating costs of the «Mykolaivvodokanal» municipal enterprise and prevents the company from functioning fully and developing.