Odesa alarmed by drinking water shortage: Is the threat real?
The Center for Countering Disinformation has dismissed reports about a potential shortage of drinking water in Odesa allegedly caused by pollution of the Dniester River.
Water
Claims about a potential drinking water shortage in Odesa due to pollution of the Dniester River are manipulative, the Center for Countering Disinformation reports.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, oil slicks were indeed spotted in the Dniester River near the village of Liadova in the Vinnytsia region on March 10.
The pollution was linked to a Russian attack on the Dniester Hydroelectric Power Plant on March 7, which caused a fuel leak after shelling. The oil slicks have since drifted downstream toward the Moldovan village of Naslavcea.
Could Odesa face a drinking water shortage?
Despite this, the Center for Countering Disinformation stressed that claims circulating in Telegram channels suggesting that Odesa could be left without water are false. Relevant services are already taking the necessary measures to contain the consequences.
Laboratories have collected water samples near Odesa’s intake facility, in the village of Maiaky, and in the Dniester Estuary for continuous monitoring.
Emergency responders are also installing floating containment booms and using sorbents to collect oil from the river’s surface.
The Ukrainian side has also officially informed Moldova about the transboundary pollution, and the two countries are currently coordinating joint actions within the Dniester Commission.
The situation is being monitored by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the State Water Resources Agency of Ukraine and regional military administrations. Experts urge residents not to panic and to rely only on official sources of information.