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 An increase in oxidation is recorded. This indicator indicates the presence of residual organic matter. Its complete elimination is expected by the end of March 2026, when the reagent system will operate in automatic mode with a full dosing cycle. However, even after achieving ideal water quality at the exit from the treatment plant, residents of Mykolaiv may face unsatisfactory water quality in apartments. The reason for this is the catastrophic condition of underground pipelines. The use of water with a high chloride content for a long time caused accelerated corrosion of metal pipes. The total length of the network is about 1200 kilometers. In many places, the pipes are actually destroyed, leading to constant accidents. At the beginning of 2026, the number of daily bursts remains critically high. Clean water, getting into rusty pipes, is saturated with iron oxides and other corrosion products, which neutralizes the efforts of new treatment facilities So, after years of a "salt era" that destroyed household appliances and burned metal pipes, the return of a fresh resource to a centralized system would seem to be the final point in the water drama. However, the reality turned out to be more complicated: although the salt has disappeared, the water quality is still far from ideal, and the trust of citizens in the central water supply system remains undermined. Contrary to expectations, 2026 did not change the usual regime of Mykolaiv residents. Despite a significant decrease in the overall mineralization of water at the beginning of 2026, its organoleptic indicators remain unstable. Secondary pollution caused by critical wear and tear of in-house networks often manifests itself in the form of increased turbidity and a specific odor, which is a consequence of complex processes of water treatment and leaching of corrosion residues from pipes, formed in the most difficult years, continues to live (Fig. 1.34). On the streets of the city, you can still meet people who carry large volumes of water in plastic eggplants, trusting only trusted pick-up points. Mykolaiv residents continue to go to the points of free distribution of purified water. For many, this has become not just a necessity, but an ingrained habit. People continue to rely on the drinking water system from bottling points, because tap water still has the status of "improved technical" in their minds. Even simple trifles, such as collecting plastic lids in special containers near such points, remain an integral attribute of the urban environment. Man-made exam: duker accident Mykolaiv felt the true face of the "new reality" on January 12, 2026. When it seemed that the worst was already over, there was a large-scale man-made accident on a duker across the Ingul River. More than 40 thousand residents of the Pivnichnyi, Solyany and Ternivka microdistricts in an instant again found themselves in front of empty taps. 65