Donetsk, May 23 - DAN. Water supply was stopped to 16 settlements in Kiev-controlled areas of the Donbass region as power was cut to two pumping stations of the Voda Donbassa public utility company.
“The distribution system operator DTEK PES-Energougol cut off power to the Belokuzminovka pumping station as demanded by the Ukrinterenergo state-owned company,” the Voda Donbassa press service said on Thursday. Water supply was cut to the customers in Belokuzminovka, Verolyubovka, Novodmitriyevka, Molocharka, Stenki and Izhevka.
The 4th level pumping station of the 2nd Donetsk Water Pipe has no power either. Water supply has been suspended to Katerinovka, Kleban-Byk, Zarya, Romanovka, Petrovka, Novgorodskoye, Stepnoye, Alexandrovo-Kalinovo, Yablunovka and Scherbinovka.
All the above settlements had a pre-war population of some 23,000 and located in Kiev-controlled territory in the Konstantinovka and Maryino districts.
In March 2019, Ukrainian electricity suppliers notified Voda Donbassa that it might be disconnected from the power grid for debts. In this case, at least 1.5 million people could have been left without water supply. The problem however was solved but on May 22, DTEK PES-Energougol announced new plans to cut power to company facilities including the canal which provides water to nearly all Donbass.*jk