SIMFEROPOL, November 11. /TASS/. Crimea’s water reservoirs have enough water for two years and will be able to meet the peninsula’s entire demand in case the Ukrainian authorities implement their threats and blow up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant’s dam, Crimea’s Prime Minister Vladimir Konstantinov said on Friday.
"From the point of view of the actual situation, Crimea is not dependent on water from the North Crimean canal. We have been living without it for eight years. We have done a lot. We have a program for water supplies until 2024. <…> Water resources in Crimea’s water reservoirs - they are all full - are enough for two year, even if there is no rain. <…> Nevertheless, we count on the North Crimean canal as a source for Crimea’s development," he said.
In May 2014, Ukraine cut water supplies to Crimea from the Kherson Region via the North Crimean canal, which used to meet 90% of the peninsula’s demand. Since then, water demand has been supplied from local sources. The situation became critical in 2020 due to the draught. The situation improved in the summer of 2021 after heavy rains. In the course of the special military operation, the Russian army liberated the canal’s hydraulic engineering unit located in the Kherson region.