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 reached 240 million. units, which testified to the direct ingress of untreated sewage and eroded cemeteries and cattle burial grounds into the waterway. In 2024 and 2025, monitoring continued weekly. As of July 22, 2024, the LCP index on the beaches of Mykolaiv exceeded epidemic safety by 3.1--4.8 times. However, by the summer of 2025, the situation began to stabilize: data for July 18, 2025 indicate that only one sample from the Chaika beach recorded an excess of Escherichia coli by 1.3 times, while in the "Namyv" and Strelka zones, deviations from microbiological standards were no longer recorded. This indicated the processes of self-purification of the aquatic environment, although the risk of "secondary waves" of pollution remained relevant during heavy rains or hydrological fluctuations. Chemical contamination and toxicological parameters The chemical profile of the waters of the Buh estuary was subjected to significant pressure due to the influx of nitrogenous compounds, iron and organic matter. Already in the first weeks after the accident, the maximum permissible concentrations (MPC) for ammonia were exceeded in the estuary. This was a direct consequence of the decay of a huge amount of organic biomass, which was washed away from the land and formed as a result of the death of hydrobionts. As of 2025, it was recorded that in different locations of the estuarine system, the concentration of pollutants exceeded the permissible values by 1.1–51.8 times. It is important to note that although petroleum products and pesticides in the first samples of 2023 directly in the Buh estuary were not detected in critical volumes, the overall level of toxic load increased due to the leaching of bottom sediments. Of particular concern was the phenomenon of secondary pollution. The bottom of the northwestern part of the Black Sea and adjacent estuaries is covered with silt deposits that have deposited heavy metals and persistent organic compounds for decades. Any disturbance of these sediments (due to storms or heavy vessel traffic) leads to the return of toxicants to the water column. This process can be compared to a chronic disease that worsens at the slightest irritation. Eutrophication of the water area of the Buh estuary has become one of the most noticeable consequences. Excessive accumulation of nutrients led to an increase in the concentration of algae and the accumulation of chlorophyll, the level of which in 2025 was 2.9 times higher than normal. This not only changes the color and transparency of the water, but also creates zones of "dead water" near the bottom, where dissolved oxygen is spent on the oxidation of dead organic matter. Ecological transformation and ecosystem degradation The consequences of the destruction of the hydroelectric power plant for the biota of the Buh estuary and adjacent territories became catastrophic. Only in the Kakhovka reservoir itself before the terrorist attack, 43 species of fish lived, of which 20 were of commercial importance; Annual catches reached 2.6 thousand tons. tons. Much of this 51