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 Salt composition analysis The key indicator of the transformation of the aquatic environment during the war period was the dynamics of salt composition indicators. An abnormal increase in the concentration of chlorides and sulfates is the most indicative factor of man-made impact, which caused intensive corrosion of urban infrastructure and degradation of the estuary ecosystem. If for a natural reservoir fluctuation in mineralization are an element of the natural hydrological cycle, then for the engineering infrastructure of Mykolaiv such indicators turned out to be critically destructive. A sharp increase in the content of salts led to the loss of operational suitability of metal pipelines and the failure of a significant part of the distribution network. After April 2022, when the water pipeline from the Dnipro was destroyed, the city found itself in a situation where the chemical composition of the water in the taps became identical to the composition of the water in open water. The results of monitoring in four strategic locations — from the Lazurne ST to the Namyv microdistrict — indicate the formation of a critically aggressive hydrochemical regime. The data obtained confirm that prolonged exposure to water with a high content of chlorides and sulfates has caused systemic degradation of metal elements of urban networks and intensive corrosion of infrastructure facilities. Chlorides are the main marker of salinity. Under normal conditions, fresh river water has a minimum content of these compounds, but the Buh estuary is an estuary where fresh water mixes with sea water. Studies have confirmed that after the cessation of the supply of Dnipro water and the transition to the intake from the estuary, chloride indicators in the water area and, as a result, in the water supply system began to demonstrate dangerous instability. The spatial dynamics recorded at the monitoring points showed a clear trend. At point No. 1 (ST "Lazurne"), the level of chlorides remained relatively stable, since this zone is upstream and less exposed to sea support. However, already at point No. 4 (Namyv microdistrict), chloride indicators in some places reached values that were ten times higher than the norms for drinking water. This "instability" depended on the wind strain: when the south wind drove water from the sea into the estuary, the concentration of salt increased rapidly. The combination of high concentrations of chlorides, sulfates and the overall hardness of the water (which was also studied in detail at points No. 2 on the Lower Embankment and No. 3 at the Yacht Club) led to the creation of an effect that scientists call "electrolytic broth" (Fig. 2.4). The pipes of the Mykolaiv Vodokanal, built mainly in the Soviet period with the expectation of soft Dnieper water, ended up in an environment for which they were not intended. Salt water works as an ideal electrolyte, triggering irreversible oxidation processes. What under normal conditions took decades happened in Mykolaiv in two or three years. 76