Attacks on Ukraine water infrastructure shows urgency of better implementation of international law
Russian attacks on key water infrastructure in Ukraine, despite bans entrenched in international law, illustrates an urgent need to better implement existing legal instruments, Susanne Schmeier, IHE Delft Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy, said at a World Water Week event focusing on the impact of war and climate on Ukraine’s water security.
“We’re seeing yet another case, internationally, in terms of how water resources are being used as a weapon, or at least being affected by war, by violence. This is in spite of the fact that we have a relatively good legal framework at the global level to prevent this from happening,” she said at the 24 August event, held on the last day of World Water Week.
“In terms of wider policy implications for us as the international community, that’s yet another important wake-up call to finally make these instruments work.”
Schmeier also emphasized the transboundary effects of assaults on water infrastructure. She pointed out that the attack on the Kakhovka Dam in June sent polluted water down the Dnipro River into the Black Sea, which borders five countries in addition to Ukraine. Additionally, the polluted water posed a threat the Danube River delta, which is a unique and vulnerable ecosystem.
Speakers at the event noted that climate change will force changes to Ukraine’s agricultural sector. If current crops are to be produced at the same level, more irrigation will be needed as rain patterns will change, with less precipitation in the summer growing season.
Natalia Latysh, Director of Ukraine’s State Agency Water Resources, told event participants via video from Kyiv that Russian attacks on pumping and water supply facilities had left 5 million Ukrainians with no access to drinking water, making them vulnerable to disease.
“Reconstruction of our water supply and irrigation system is the best investment in the future of our country. We should reconstruct with better systems than those that have been damaged. The current systems result in significant losses of water,” she said at the event, organized by the World Bank Group and the consulting firm HydroSolutions.
IHE Delft delegates shared their expertise at several events throughout the week, putting the spotlight on topics ranging from the need for joint global education action, more innovation and better lake ecosystem restoration.