Water Supply of the Population of Ukraine: Level, Problems and Directions of its Solutions

Abstract

The article examines the level of water supply of the population of Ukraine in terms of administrative regions, considers the existing problems, and identifies ways to solve them. Regional differences in the annual water supply of the population of Ukraine per capita in terms of local and transit runoff, forecast resources and operational groundwater reserves, the size of their intake, including daily, and indicators of total water supply in the average water and low water (95 %) years. A comparison with the water supply indicators of other European countries is made. According to the indicated sources of water supply, groups of regions in which the state of water supply is critical have been identified. It is recognized as necessary when developing programs to improve water use, first of all to pay attention to areas that have not only lower indicators of total water supply, but also lower levels of operational reserves and projected groundwater resources, which should be used to meet drinking and sanitation. hygienic needs. The structure of fresh water use and pollution of water discharged together with wastewater are characterized. Particular attention is paid to the disclosure of the level of development, the dynamics of groundwater production, the structure of their use, the nature and causes of pollution. The ecological consequences and main problems caused by the natural shortage of water resources and significant regional differences in their provision, pollution of surface and groundwater and violations of the norms of their use are outlined. It is proposed, taking into account the unfavorable state of water supply in Ukraine as a whole and critical in some regions, to pay attention to the need for gradual introduction of economic methods of influence, through differentiation of prices for water supply of different quality, to water consumers and other economic entities. exploitation of water bodies, collection, preparation, transportation of water resources, which would stimulate the preservation and restoration of this valuable and unalternative natural product. JEL classіfіcatіon: Q25