Crimea Can Achieve Water Independence Using Foreign Know-how - PM

Crimea must introduce water-saving measures and technologies successfully used in other countries and regions, Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov said on Tuesday, Russia's RIA Novosti reports.

Speaking to reporters, Aksyonov stated that while the region does not currently face any crisis in the provision of clean water, he considers it only logical that Crimea adopt the best practices used in countries like Oman and Israel, where fresh water is far more limited than in the peninsula.

"We must implement things in Crimea which have worked in other countries over a long period of time. Oman began collecting freshwater a long time ago, and today faces no issues related to desalination. The country collects water that falls as rain over the mountains, and all of this has been worked out and developed to a high level," Aksyonov noted.

Aksyonov also cited the example of Israel, which has significantly less precipitation than Crimea. "Nevertheless, there are no problems with agriculture in Israel," the prime minister explained.

Aksyonov noted that ultimately, "everything has already been conceived of by others before us on this issue. All we have to do is copy that which has worked successfully for others." He explained that the local government has already begun the development of a program which will help Crimeans learn how to collect rainwater. "We are currently allowing all this water to seep into the sea. We have more than enough water, and can deal with the situation without any outside help," he emphasized.

Crimea once depended on Ukraine to provide 85 percent of its freshwater, using water diverted from the mighty Dnieper River via the North Crimean Canal. Following the Maidan coup and Crimea's reunification with Russia, Kiev blocked off the supply of water to the peninsula. The problems of the peninsula's water supply have been partly resolved via the diversion of water from the Biyuk-Karasu river, and local authorities are continuing the process of drilling new wells and building new water pipelines. The peninsula has resolved the provision of water supply for household use, and authorities have not made any restrictions, but are now working to figure out ways to make more freshwater available for agricultural use, given that agriculture was once a very important part of the peninsula's economy.

Last month, the republic's reservoirs filled up to full capacity following heavy rainfall, which is expected to supply the region with sufficient supplies for the summer holiday season and well into the fall.