ST. PETERSBURG, June 7. /TASS/. Crimea, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, are interested in restoring the North Crimean Canal, Vladimir Konstantinov, the Chairman of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea, told TASS in an interview at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum by
In May 2014, Ukraine cut off the supply of water to Crimea through the canal from the Kherson Region; it met 90% of the peninsula's needs. In 2020, the water supply situation in Crimea became critical due to the drought; it was resolved in the summer of 2021 when heavy rains took place. Water in the Republic of Crimea accumulates in reservoirs whose level significantly depends on precipitation.
"As for water, we came to Russia with limited water due to the closure of the North Crimean Canal in 2014. We returned to the pre-Soviet period of Crimea, when there was no canal and Crimea lived on its own water," Konstantinov said. "The question is: is it worth restoring it? In our common opinion with Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, it is certainly needed," he noted.
The restoration of the North Crimean Canal will allow Crimea, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions to form a high-intensity farming zone, the official added.