Aftermath of a missile strike, amid Russia’s invasion on Ukraine, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine June 29, 2022 in this picture obtained from social media. Photo: Courtesy of Julie Akimova – news.pn/via REUTERS

JNS.org – The NGO IsraAID is providing the heavily shelled city of Mykolaiv, Ukraine, with four reverse-osmosis water filtration systems, enabling the municipality to provide safe drinking water to its estimated 475,000 residents.

Access to clean water has affected communities in Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, for months. On April 12, fighting in a neighboring region severed a water pipeline to the city, shutting off tap water to tens of thousands. Though running water was restored about a month later, it remains unsuitable for drinking; thus, many residents still have difficulty accessing safe water.

The scarcity of potable water poses a major public health risk as summer temperatures have set in.

The water systems, which were delivered on July 28, will be installed in four neighborhood administration centers, restoring access to safe drinking water in those areas. On hand to accept the delivery was Sergey Korenev, Mykolaiv’s deputy mayor for housing and communal services, who said that residents will have free, round-the-clock access to the systems and that they will be fully functional within three hours of installation.

“Access to safe water is a basic human right and essential to community resilience,” said IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer. “Through this collaboration with the municipality of Mykolaiv, we will utilize IsraAID’s professional expertise in water, sanitation and hygiene to meet the urgent needs of this strong, resilient community in the face of crisis. We are grateful to all of our partners in this mission.”