IsraAID brings safe water systems to Ukrainian city

Thursday, July 28, 2022. For immediate release:

IsraAID has provided four reverse osmosis water filtration systems to the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, about 130km east of Odesa, which has seen its water infrastructure severely damaged in the fighting with Russia. Working in collaboration with the Mykolaiv municipality, the water sanitation systems will restore safe drinking water to many of the city’s 476,000 residents.

Water access issues have affected communities in Mykolaiv for months. On April 12, fighting in the neighboring oblast (region) of Kherson severed a water pipeline, shutting off tap water to the surrounding area. Though running water was restored over a month later, the water is unsuitable for drinking and many residents still have difficulty accessing safe water. The scarcity potable water poses a major public health risk as high summer temperatures set in.

The arrival of the water sanitation systems was celebrated at a press conference in Mykolaiv on Thursday, with Sergey Korenev, Mykolaiv’s Deputy Mayor for Housing and Communal Services. The water systems will be installed in four neighborhood administration centers and will restore access to safe drinking water in those areas. At the press conference, Deputy Mayor Korenev noted that all Mykolaiv residents will have free, round-the-clock access to the systems, and that they will be fully functional within three hours of installation.

IsraAID will provide ongoing technical support to local officials to ensure community ownership and long-term sustainability. IsraAID’s partners in this project include MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, and the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine.

As IsraAID continues to expand its emergency response operations in Ukraine, the organization is opening new offices in Kyiv and Odesa.

IsraAID launched its response to the ongoing Ukraine crisis on February 26^th, two days after the Russian invasion, dispatching an Emergency Response team to Moldova to provide urgent support to the thousands of Ukrainian refugees crossing into the country. IsraAID’s team was one of the first international groups to reach the border crossing at Palanca, in southern Moldova, around 50km from Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port city. In Moldova, IsraAID has been working on protection, education, and medical support for refugees both at the border and in formal and informal shelters around the country.

In Romania, IsraAID has been operating the Tulcea Humanitarian Logistics Hub – the only humanitarian hub with a verified supply chain directly to southern Ukraine. Together with international partners, IsraAID has delivered over $30 million worth of essential aid – including food, medical supplies, bedding, clothing, diapers and more – to communities in urgent need. IsraAID’s new work in Ukraine builds on the relationships and trust established with communities across the country through the work of the Tulcea Humanitarian Logistics Hub.

Yotam Polizer, IsraAID’s CEO, said:

“Access to safe water is a basic human right and essential to community resilience. From the first days of this conflict, IsraAID’s teams have been working to bring aid to affected people, from supporting refugees in Moldova, to providing essential supplies through the Tulcea Humanitarian Logistics Hub in Romania, to now partnering directly with communities in Ukraine. 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.”

-ENDS-

Further information is available on request, including interviews with IsraAID CEO Yotam Polizer and other individuals involved in this operation.

CONTACT:
Shachar May
Email: [email protected]