The problem of water resources has been troubling Ukraine for many years. In 2024, Ukraine was in 43rd place in the EPI safe drinking water score in the world, it is the 28th place among European countries. The main problem is the lack of clean water for consumption due to pollution. Agricultural waste, industrial pollutants, domestic wastewater, microplastics, and fecal contamination have serious consequences for ecosystems and human health. In Ukraine, these problems are further complicated by additional factors such as the war and adverse climatic conditions (World Population Review, n.d.).

What is wrong with water resource management? Many people think that Ukraine has a lot of water, but it does not. Water bodies occupy only 4% of Ukraine’s territory (including swamps). These are rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and canals. The river network is not very dense, and there are few large natural bodies of water. Many swamps, which play an important role in regulating the water balance and biodiversity, have been drained. Enterprises actively “pump out” water, and the already high level of water pollution is exacerbated by the war (Honcharova, 2025).

The ecological issue of water resources is an acute issue in society, because all human life depends on water. The major pollutant in Ukraine now is the war. Before 2022, about 87.6% of the population had access to drinking water, but now – about 65-75%. This gap in the calculations occurs due to the dynamic change in the situation due to the war, unstable centralized water supply, as well as taking into account occupied/frontline territories, where it is impossible to make an accurate calculation. Much of the infrastructure related to water is damaged or destroyed: dozens of pumping stations, water treatment plants, and sewage systems. The quality of the water itself is deteriorating; there are increasing cases where tap or spring water does not meet standards due to contamination after destruction, mixing of wastewater (Center for Social Communications Research of the NBUV, 2025).

Looking at this problem and its solution, it is necessary to distribute water resources evenly and neutralize pollution as much as possible. Ukraine’s water resources are under significant ecological threat due to a combination of human activity, environmental mismanagement, and the ongoing war. Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach that combines environmental policy reform, infrastructure development, public education, and international cooperation. Sustainable management of water is essential not only for ecological stability but also for Ukraine’s socio-economic recovery and integration into the European environmental framework.

References:

1. Center for Social Communications Research of the NBUV. (2025, October 08). Nestacha vody u sviti ta v Ukraini: prychyny ta sposoby pokrashchennia sytuatsii. SIAZ NBUV [Water scarcity in the world and in Ukraine: causes and ways to improve the situation. SIAZ NBUV]. Retrieved from https://nbuviap.gov.ua/nestacha-vody-u-sviti-ta-v-ukraini-prychyny-ta-sposoby-pokrashchennia-sytuatsii
2. Honcharova, K. (2025, May 18). Shcho my piemo shchodnia? Ekolohy poiasnyly, shcho ne tak z vodoiu v Ukraini. RBK‑Ukraina [What do we drink every day? Ecologists explained what is wrong with the water in Ukraine. RBC-Ukraine]. Retrieved from https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/shcho-mi-p-emo-shchodnya-ekologi-poyasnili-1747395437.html
3. World Population Review (n.d.). Water quality by country. Retrieved from https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/water-quality-by-country