High-quality drinking water is now supplied from taps in Vitebsk and Novopolotsk, Polotsk and Orsha. Increasingly, a similar situation can be observed in the district centers of the Vitebsk region and, encouragingly, in small settlements as well. This has become possible thanks to the "Clean Water" subprogram. During its implementation in the region since 2016, the provision of consumers with water supply of normative quality has increased by 11.6 percent and reached 96 percent as of December 1, 2020.
High-quality drinking water is now supplied from taps in Vitebsk and Novopolotsk, Polotsk and Orsha. Increasingly, a similar situation can be observed in the district centers of the Vitebsk region and, encouragingly, in small settlements as well. This has become possible thanks to the "Clean Water" subprogram. During its implementation in the region since 2016, the provision of consumers with water supply of normative quality has increased by 11.6 percent and reached 96 percent as of December 1, 2020.
Orsha's Example
Over the past two years, 18 de-ironing stations have been built in the Orsha district alone under the district development program. Important and long-awaited facilities are now operational in Vysokoye and Mitkovshchina, Brazdechina and Pechishche, Zapolye, Pishchalovo, Staiky... On the eve of the New Year, the list will be supplemented by a station in Zaslonovka. What a gift for the holiday! Yuri Yurgel, head of the production and technical department of the Orsha Vodokanal enterprise (a branch of UP Vitebskoblvodokanal), provides an update:
— While Orsha is fully supplied with high-quality drinking water, there were still many issues in the outlying areas. The situation has significantly improved over 2019-2020. Villagers felt it immediately, and so did we. In large villages and agro-towns where stations have been installed, there have been fewer inquiries and complaints – which means people are satisfied. We are also paying attention to small villages with up to 50 inhabitants. We connect them to the water supply networks of neighboring, larger settlements, or install local treatment systems.
Svetlana Kalinkina, head of the water supply network workshop of the Orsha district, joins the conversation. Her voice, as colleagues joke, is known to a large part of the district's residents. The scope of work for the two emergency repair crews supervised by Svetlana Vasilyevna is extensive. This includes fixing water pipeline breaks, repairing and defrosting hydrants, and, most importantly, ensuring uninterrupted supply of drinking water to consumers. The long distances between villages complicate the work, as a lot of time is spent on travel. However, the primary problem lies elsewhere, the interlocutor reasons:
— In my opinion, it is related to the serious wear and tear of the water supply networks. Therefore, we are focusing on their replacement – we are removing all steel pipes that have long since exhausted their service life. It is no secret that our number is dialed frequently. Some express heartfelt thanks, especially if the call is from a village or agro-town where iron removal stations have been put into operation (the difference between "before and after" is striking!), while others express dissatisfaction. There are many nuances in our work, but we manage. Fortunately, on the whole, people are understanding of the temporary inconvenconveniences.
Vasily Zinkovich, a resident of the agro-town of Krapivno, Orsha district.
The problem of worn-out water supply networks is also relevant for other districts of the region. The main thing is that it is being gradually resolved, within our capabilities.
We arrive at the agro-town of Krapivno, where approximately 760 people live, to assess the operation of the new iron removal station in the Orsha district. On site, we meet Vasily Zinkovich, a physical education teacher, and formerly a village executive committee chairman, who knows firsthand what concerns rural residents. Out of habit, they still turn to Vasily Petrovich for help in solving pressing problems.
— The quality of water has been the number one topic for many years, — the villager does not hide. — The iron content was off the charts… Because of this, many did not use tap water to its full extent. They were afraid of harming their health or damaging household appliances. Wells near the Krapivenka River were very popular. The commissioning of the iron removal station at the end of November is an important event for everyone. It was built in a month and a half. I live nearby, so I watched the progress of the work every day. Thanks to the builders for their conscientiousness and efficiency!
Our hero invites us to see for ourselves how much cleaner the H2O has become in the agro-town and invites us to visit. The hospitable host turns on the tap in the kitchen:
— Look! It's crystal clear, without odor or impurities. You drink it and enjoy it.
The capacity of the iron removal station in the agro-town of Krapivno allows it to serve local residents, as well as neighbors from the village of Gornoye Krapivno and the settlement of Savishchino, totaling over 400 people.
And what about the shaft wells?
Delicious and clean tap water is undoubtedly a blessing. However, one should not forget about communal shaft wells. In the Orsha District, they have been serviced by OrshaVodokanal since 2013. In other districts, they are on the balance sheets of housing and communal services (HCS) and, in some cases, rural executive committees. According to Yuri Yurgel, OrshaVodokanal oversees more than 670 shaft wells. The depth of some reaches 30 meters, but mostly they are 18-20 meters deep. Separate funding for their repair is not provided, the interviewee points out:
— All work is carried out at the enterprise's expense. Upon request from a rural executive committee, specialists install new rings, periodically clean, repair the upper structures, benches, conduct water quality analysis, and perform preventive maintenance and disinfection. Wells under the jurisdiction of HCS enterprises or rural executive committees are serviced according to a similar scheme. If the well is private, this can be done for a fee.
Svetlana Kalinkina, head of the water supply network workshop of the Orsha District.
There is a pilot project!
Over the last five-year period, the Vitebsk region has seen an increase of 98 iron removal stations. An additional 130,000 people have gained access to clean water. 23.2 million rubles have been allocated for these purposes, according to figures provided by Elena Rashkevich, Deputy General Director of VitebskObkVodokanal:
— This includes investments from the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. EBRD resources amounting to 15.5 million euros have been attracted to implement the pilot investment project "Clean Water of the Vitebsk Region" in the country.
In 2020 alone, the total funding for measures to ensure quality drinking water in the region amounted to 8.9 million rubles. Several projects have been completed for the looping (reconnection) of settlements with water of normative quality, and the replacement of water supply networks with a total length of over 96 kilometers. Four more artesian wells have appeared in the Vitebsk region. 41 iron removal stations have been commissioned, and the construction of three more will be completed by the end of the year. The Orsha District has commissioned the largest number of new stations, nine.
Significant work has been done, emphasizes Elena Rashkevich:
— At the same time, important issues requiring increased attention remain. In particular, it is necessary to solve the problem of water quality in another 390 rural settlements with a centralized water supply system and a population of 10 to 100 people, where the total iron content in the water exceeds 1.0 mg/l.
At the national level, the issue of ensuring water of normative quality for villages with a population of less than 100 people, as well as in areas without centralized water supply, remains relevant. In the Vitebsk region, this concerns the Verkhnedvinsk, Vitebsk, Dubrovno, Liozno, Rossony, Senno, Tolochin, Ushachi, and Shumilino districts. Building iron removal stations there is not so much economically as technically impractical. It is more logical to use individual purification units or modular domestic stations (they are installed directly at water intake facilities).