Mitryasova, O. CHRONICLES OF THIRST: DOCUMENTING MYKOLAIV'S WATER SECURITY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN A WAR-AFFECTED CITY: Monograph. Mykolaiv: PMBSNU, 2026, 124 p.

CHRONICLES OF THIRST: DOCUMENTING MYKOLAIV'S WATER SECURITY CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS IN A WAR-AFFECTED CITY Fig. 1.4. Obelisk in front of the Spasskaya Pier (photo from open sources). Why is it important to know about these wooden pipes and the Spassky Spring right now, in 2026? Because the history of Mykolaiv is the story of the eternal struggle for water. When new dukers, filtration stations and wells are created today, the work of those first workers who dragged tree trunks from the source to the pier continues. Understanding that our city began with water makes it possible to protect it today. Each drop in the Mykolaiv network has its own price, measured by centuries of labor, wars and revival. Mykolaiv water is the blood of our fleet and the lives of our people, and the deeper we dive into these details, the clearer we see the value of our common past. Despite the fact that Mykolaiv has been surrounded by a water mirror of rivers and estuaries since its birth, its relationship with drinking water has never been simple. It was a paradox laid down by nature itself. The city on the peninsula breathed the moisture of two rivers, but their waters, mixed with the sea, remained unsuitable for quenching thirst. In the first decades of Mykolaiv's existence, water was a precious commodity. It was harvested from rooftops during rains, extracted from shallow wells where it was often bitter, or brought in barrels on carts from distant sources, sold for a lot of money. The issue of water was not just a matter of comfort — it was a matter of survival and development of the city, which was rapidly turning into an industrial giant. It was this "natural injustice" that forced Mykolaiv residents to become pioneers of engineering. Realizing that without a reliable source of fresh water, the future of shipbuilding and maritime trade would be threatened, the city began its long journey towards building one of the most complex water supply systems in the region. 12