The situation with wastewater treatment plants in Crimea is little better than on the Volga
The construction of new and the renovation of old sewage treatment facilities has been delayed for several years. Of the 24 facilities planned for construction under the Federal Targeted Program for the Development of Crimea by 2025, only six are ready, and two more are scheduled to be operational by the end of December. Officials are already justifying the situation by citing Crimea's "special" geology.
The majority are in the design stage or undergoing expert review, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Crimea was supposed to welcome the 2025 summer season with new wastewater treatment facilities. Thirteen settlements from Feodosia to Foros were planned to be equipped with modern wastewater treatment systems, allowing for fish farming in the resulting water. A total of 26 facilities were scheduled for reconstruction . But a year ago, at a meeting with the Russian Ministry of Construction, the number of wastewater treatment facilities was reduced to 24, and the remaining ones were divided into phases.
"All the objects that were previously included in the program—a certain line in the program was formed, a similar object on the mainland was selected , because there are no similar ones in Crimea, and then adjustments were made.
Let's say we're looking at a similar facility in central Russia and testing it against Foros, Simeiz, and Otradny. There, we have three or four landslides occurring simultaneously. All utilities are connected to the existing wastewater treatment plant. Even if we hypothetically relocate the facility, which still requires finding an empty plot of land, all utilities and deep-water outlets will have to be reconnected.
"And all of this, taken together, is having an impact on the implementation of the project itself," said Alexander Reznikov, Crimea's first deputy minister of construction, justifying the situation.
As a result, after the changes are made, the estimate must be recalculated, expert assessments must be conducted, and the completion dates must be pushed back. Therefore, new treatment facilities in Koktebel, Malorechenskoye, Katsiveli, and Foros will be built next year, and in Feodosia, Primorskoye, Alushta, Partenit, Gurzuf, Otradny, and Simeiz – by 2030.
Treatment facilities have already been commissioned in Chernomorskoye, Olenevka, Saki, Lenino, Ordzhonikidze, and Morskoye. The Mindalnoye wastewater treatment plant near Sudak and the Utes wastewater treatment plant in the Alushta region are scheduled to open this year .
The situation with wastewater treatment plants in Crimea is only slightly better than on the Volga.