Russian Water Systems Remains In Shumble

The Chistaya Voda with the effort of Scientist Viktor Pretick and his nanotechnology water filters remain questionable.

With over 10 million Russians still lacking access to quality drinking water and almost 30 of pipeline in need of desperate replacement, serious efforts are needed to bring infrastructure up to scratch.

The fate of the project in water industry remains questionable du to the ongoing struggle between its supporters and opponents including a huge state funds required for its implementation.  Regardless of the obstacles the project is facing its suspension it will not resolve the major problem; the need for a full-scale reform of the Russian water industry.

According to the Russian regulatory bodies, between 35% to 60% of total reserves of drinking water in Russia currently do not meet sanitary standards, with 40% of surface and 17% of underground spring water considered as unconsumable.

With a level of pollution in Russian Rivers and lakes from agricultural and industrial waste exceeds all the minimum standards. Nearly 11 million people in Russia do not have access to quality drinking water, while around 50 million people, (approx. a third of the country’s population), drink water with high iron levels.

With a supply system that is much to be desired, local expert stated 30% of all Russian water pipes need to be replaced in the near future with 1.5 of them are replaced each year.

Payback period of an average project that involves the reconstruction of water pipes is eight years. If the project starts from scratch, this period increases up to 12 years, which is too long for the Russian economy as businesses reluctantly invest money in long-term programs.

At present, the Russian water-economic complex requires constant budget investments to at least keep it in its present condition and to prevent further deterioration. According to analysts’ estimates, most of the Russian water pipes should be changed during the next two or three years due to their emergency condition.

At the same time, according certain analysts from United Russia, the only way out of this situation is to apply modern technologies to boost water supply. One such project is titled “Clean Water”, a controversial project initiated by Russia’s ruling party, “United Russia”.

According to Russian media reports, the government has still some doubts about the prospects of “Clean Water”. The project was not included in the list of 37 state programs in 2011-2013, presented by Ministry of Economic Development, due to the Russia’s Ministry of Finance inability to provide funds for the project in the near future. However, everything might change in the coming months.

The future of Clean Water looks very bright, due to the fact the government is still unable to undertake a massive reform in the domestic water industry. There is a possibility that the entire reform may be limited to cosmetic repair of the most worn-out pipes throughout the country and the replacement of corroded pipelines.

However, if everything goes wrong for Clean Water, “United Russia” is still going to provide the population with clean water. In this regard, the party plan to establish a special commission in the Russian State Duma, which will be responsible for the development of alternative projects in the Russian water industry.