Ukrainians may return to the 90s: who is threatened by hourly water supply.

Ukrainian water utilities may introduce hourly water supply in cities due to the financial crisis. This information was provided by energy and municipal services expert Oleg Popenko.

Some water utilities in Ukrainian cities hint at the possibility of switching to hourly water supply. For example, in Rivne, they reduce pressure in the network at certain times, resulting in weak pressure on lower floors and a lack of water on upper ones. The Rivne water utility has already accrued a debt of 70 million hryvnias for electricity and has become the subject of lawsuits for recovery of funds.

'This is essentially a cry for help from the enterprise, as the losses incurred by the enterprise each month are not covered by any incoming funds. The price of electricity set on the market is not accounted for in the current tariffs,' explained Acting Director of Rivnooblvodokanal Andriy Gruhal.

Water utilities pay for electricity at market prices, while tariffs were last reviewed in 2021. Thus, they planned to reduce pressure and limit water supply during hours of highest electricity prices. The problem does not only concern Rivne; other cities are also considering switching to hourly water supply due to the increasing debts of residents for public utilities.

'Other water utilities are considering such a step, and we are no exception. Residents' debts have increased by almost 8 million hryvnias over the year. People are not paying for services. The tariff for the population has remained unchanged since 2019. We are already considering options for hourly water supply if consumer debt to our enterprise continues to grow,' noted representatives from one of the water utilities.

According to data from the relevant association, enterprises in the industry owe 11 billion hryvnias for electricity, while the total debt is three times greater. The main reason is unprofitable tariffs. Water utilities do not receive enough funds to operate, and even the reagents for water purification are bought on credit. Housing and Utilities expert Oleg Popenko notes that the Poltava water utility allocated funds from the regional budget for 2025 to cover this difference.

'In Rivne, for some reason, they decided not to allocate funds in the budget. I do not know why they did this, but they do not compensate for this difference and have started to blackmail,' emphasized the expert.

Previously, the expert also mentioned that an item in the utility bills is a scam.