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 Addiction Psychology and Perspective 2026 The most painful and difficult to analyze conclusion of this paragraph is not so much chemical indicators as metamorphoses of human perception. The 2023–2024 study recorded not only nitrate or chloride figures, but also a disturbing social trend. Such an extreme level of domestic discomfort gradually became a new, distorted "norm" for Mykolaiv residents. High hardness and mineralization of water led to a radical change in the everyday habits of Mykolaiv residents. The negative impact on health (skin and hair condition) and the critical increase in household chemical costs due to the low foaming capacity of water have become part of daily social experiences. The psychological acceptance of these conditions as the "new normal" indicates the high adaptability of the community, but such normalization of the crisis hid the risks of long-term degradation of living standards. However, the figures and facts of our "Hydrochemical Chronicle" do not tire of emphasizing: what flows in Mykolaiv taps is not a natural state of affairs. This is a consequence of a deep, artificial imbalance of the entire aquatic ecosystem and engineering network. Getting used to such indicators is dangerous, because the human body, unlike psychology, does not know how to adapt to the chronic effects of salt aggression without health consequences. Looking into 2026 through the lens of these studies gives us a very different perspective. We understand that a return to "pre-war" life is impossible only because of mechanical repair of pipes. We need mental de-occupation from the habit of "technical" life. Monitoring data has become the foundation on which the recovery strategy is built: refusal to compromise on quality, the introduction of industrial reverse osmosis, and the transition to sources protected from seasonal surges. The prospect of 2026 is not just tap water. This is the return of Mykolaiv residents to the right to comfort, health and water, which does not destroy, but restores. The hydrochemical studies of the period of great anxiety (2023–2024) will forever go down in history as proof of the price the city paid for its resilience and how it was eventually able to break the cycle of psychological addiction to the crisis, choosing the path of technological and ecological revival. Mykolaiv has learned to appreciate every liter of cleanliness, and this experience will be a safeguard against similar disasters in the future. Return to hydrochemical status standards in early 2026 The transformation of the chemical composition of water in the networks of Mykolaiv in the period 2023-2026 has become a mirror of the environmental and engineering challenges faced by the city. If 2023 was marked by critical mineralization and aggressive impact of estuarine water on pipelines, then the beginning of 2026 demonstrates a qualitatively new phase — the phase of "fragile stabilization". At the beginning of 2026, the results of monitoring in all districts of the city indicate a significant improvement in the quality of tap water in terms of key indicators: 83