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 The city completely relied on the Dnieper artery. The old Oktyabrsky reservoir, which served as a backup source for decades, was decommissioned and closed for long-term reconstruction. This decision, dictated by technical necessity, actually left the city without a "plan B", making it one hundred percent hostage to a single pipeline. At the same time, an alarming reality was hidden behind the façade of powerful numbers. Despite the introduction of new technologies, for example, a modern water chlorination system, launched in 2001, the main farm of the MCP "Mykolaivvodokanal" was inexorably aging. The main buildings, machinery and equipment, which have been operating at the limit of their capabilities since Soviet times, needed immediate modernization. At the beginning of 2022, the service life of many critical units exceeded all standards — some elements of the system worked out their service life 20 years ago. The Mykolaiv water system was like an old Atlantean, it still held the city on its shoulders, but its internal resources were critically depleted. It was in this state — technically worn-out, logistically uncontested, but still vital — that the infrastructure of Vodokanal met the morning of February 24, 2022. How drinking water was born Behind every drop of water in the city tap there was a complex multi-stage process, the heart of which was the Inhulets Water Supply Treatment Plant (VIOS). This is a whole industrial town designed to purify 140 thousand cubic meters of water every day. The history of this technological complex developed in parallel with the growth of Mykolaiv itself. 1. The first line (1958) was put into operation in the midst of post-war reconstruction, the first stage of treatment facilities (40 thousand m³/day) laid the classical standards for water treatment. The process began in the mixing chamber, where the water was prepared for a chemical reaction. Then, in the coagulation workshop, with the help of special substances, small particles of contaminants "clumped together" into larger flakes, which settled in horizontal sedimentation tanks. a quick filter unit where water passed through layers of sand and anthracite, accumulating in a clean water tank. 2. The second stage is power and control (1965). The expansion of the city required new volumes, so the second stage appeared, which added another 75 thousand m³ of daily capacity. It became more perfect: there were mesh chambers that retained large debris and algae at the entrance. In addition to the main production workshops, the second stage included a modern laboratory. adjusting the doses of reagents depending on the time of year and the condition of the river. 26