Information for fruit and vegetables business in CIS
Dam on North Crimean Canal – another fake from Russian media
Information about building a dam in Kherson Region of Ukraine to block water supply to the Crimean peninsula through North Crimean Canal is no more than another fake of Russian media, Mr. Yuriy Odarchenko, Governor of Kherson Region, said to Fruit-Inform.
As it is reported by Crimea Inform informational agency and, then, other Russian media that cite witnesses reports, a dam is being built from bags with sand on the side of the Armyansk-Kherson highway near a bridge in Kalanchak town.
“Russian media again misrepresent the facts”, Mr. Odarchenko said. “A water supply measuring site is indeed being built on the North Crimean Canal. But this facility does not resemble “bags with sand”.
Mr. Odarchenko also pointed out that building is aimed at measuring the amount of water unauthorizedly drawn by self-appointed Crimean authorities with no idea of blocking water supply to Crimea being implied.
The Governor explained that there had been no necessity in a water supply measuring site when the North Crimean Canal had been fully administered by the Ukrainian authorities as such sites had been constructed on canals supplying water directly to enterprises. Nowadays, a part of the North Crimean Canal located in the Crimean peninsula is seized by unknown people presenting themselves as cossacks or new authorities. However, the main problem is that those people simply are unable to use canal facilities.
“We have to clearly understand that the North Crimean Canal is not a streamway, but a complex structure including a lockage, pump stations etc., therefore to maintain the Canal requires professional skills. Otherwise, it spells an industrial disaster”, the Governor said.
He also connected lack of water supply in Crimea with irresponsible actions of self-appointed Crimean authorities. There are still no legal relations between Ukraine and occupied Crimea inclusive of contractual arrangements of water supply to the peninsula.
“Ukraine is not to blame for having no desire to execute an agreement with self-appointed Crimean authorities”, Mr. Odarchenko said. “It is self-appointed authorities of Crimea that do not want to conduct negotiations with Ukraine”.
Mr. Odarchenko also corroborated that occupants had destroyed a right part of the North Crimean Canal at the 243rd km for the purpose of redirecting the river Biyuk-Karasu.
“This is another evidence that occupants cannot maintain the Canal's facilities, therefore they take those actions to redirect a water flow”, the Governor said. “It should also be noted that the North Crimean Canal can be well compared with a full-flowing river, therefore destructing the Canal's facilities may carry disastrous consequences”.
We would remind you that Crimean farmers still suffer from water shortage. As Fruit-Inform has previously reported, even well boring will unlikely save the situation, as wells can be a way out for farmers that grow vegetables on a small area or in hothouses. As a result, Crimea may have no vegetables and potatoes produced in the current season.