‘Ticking environmental bomb’: Water crisis worsens in Russia-annexed Donbas – Al Jazeera

Report on the Water Crisis in the Donbas Region and its Contravention of Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction

A severe, man-made water crisis is unfolding in the Russia-occupied Donbas region of Ukraine, affecting an estimated population of 3.5 million. The crisis stems from the destruction of water supply infrastructure due to years of conflict, compounded by environmental pollution from uncontrolled mining. This situation represents a significant failure to meet several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to clean water, health, sustainable communities, and environmental protection.

Direct Impact on SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

Failure to Ensure Availability and Sustainable Management of Water (SDG 6.1)

Access to safe and affordable drinking water has been critically compromised. The region’s primary water source, a canal from the Siversky Donets River, has been rendered inoperable by military conflict. This has led to severe water rationing, with residents in cities like Donetsk receiving running water for only a few hours per week. The quality of the water that is supplied is extremely poor, often described as pungent and discolored, necessitating boiling and filtering.

Inadequate Sanitation and Hygiene (SDG 6.2)

The lack of running water has caused a collapse in basic sanitation services. Reports from the region indicate that residents are unable to use toilets and have resorted to collecting human waste in plastic bags. This practice poses a severe public health risk and is a direct violation of the goal to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all.

Deterioration of Water Quality (SDG 6.3)

The quality of remaining water sources is rapidly declining due to pollution. Key factors include:

• Uncontrolled mining operations releasing chemicals, heavy metal salts, and methane into the water table.
• The cessation of pumping water from abandoned mines, allowing contaminated water to rise and poison groundwater, lakes, and rivers.

Consequences for SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

Increased Risk of Water-borne Diseases (SDG 3.3)

The use of contaminated water has led to significant health crises, undermining the goal of ending epidemics of communicable diseases. There have been official reports of outbreaks of:

1. Cholera
2. Dysentery
3. Other water-borne infections, such as keratitis

Impact on General Well-being (SDG 3.4)

The daily struggle for water and the lack of basic hygiene have created immense psychological distress and hardship for the population. Residents report wiping themselves with wet cloths instead of bathing, and the inability to operate essential household appliances like washing machines further degrades living conditions and mental well-being.

Environmental Degradation and Risks to Sustainable Communities (SDG 11 & SDG 15)

Creation of an Environmental “Ticking Bomb” (SDG 15.1)

The environmental damage extends beyond water pollution. Experts warn that the region has become a major environmental hazard due to several factors:

• Intensified mining activities are causing tectonic cracks, leading to the disappearance of entire bodies of water.
• A significant long-term threat exists from the Yunyi Kommunar coal mine, where a nuclear device was detonated in 1979. The mine was flooded in 2018, and the protective capsule is reportedly destroyed, raising fears that radioactive isotopes will mix with groundwater by 2026.

Threats to Urban Sustainability (SDG 11)

The water crisis renders major urban centers increasingly uninhabitable. The failure of centralized water systems also cripples other essential services, such as central heating, which cannot function without water. This breakdown of basic urban infrastructure makes cities unsafe and non-resilient, directly opposing the objectives of SDG 11.

Failure of Governance and Institutions (SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

Ineffective Infrastructure Projects and Corruption (SDG 16.5 & 16.6)

Efforts to alleviate the crisis have been largely unsuccessful, reportedly due to corruption and mismanagement. A new canal constructed from Russia’s Don River, overseen by a deputy defense minister later jailed for embezzlement, has failed to solve the problem. The canal operates at only a fraction of its planned capacity and suffers from constant malfunctions due to poor-quality materials. This highlights a failure of effective, accountable, and transparent institutions.

Conflict as the Root Cause (SDG 16.1)

The ongoing military conflict is the fundamental driver of the crisis. The destruction of the original canal system is a direct consequence of hostilities, demonstrating how the absence of peace and security fundamentally undermines all other development goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected crises in the Donbas region, directly and indirectly touching upon multiple Sustainable Development Goals. The analysis identifies the following SDGs as most relevant:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article explicitly mentions health crises resulting from the lack of clean water, including outbreaks of water-borne diseases.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: This is the central theme of the article. It details the severe water scarcity, the poor quality of available water, the destruction of water infrastructure, and the complete breakdown of sanitation services.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The focus is on the city of Donetsk and its metropolitan area, where basic urban services like centralized water and heating have collapsed, making the city uninhabitable and unsustainable.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: The article describes severe environmental degradation, including the poisoning of groundwater, lakes, and rivers from uncontrolled mining and the potential for radioactive contamination, which threatens terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The root cause of the crisis is the ongoing conflict. Furthermore, the article points to failures in governance, such as corruption in infrastructure projects, which exacerbates the situation.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases.
   • Explanation: The article directly references this target by stating, “Ukraine has reported outbreaks of cholera, dysentery and other water-borne diseases.” It also mentions a specific case of “keratitis, an eye infection caused by amoebas living in contaminated water.”
2. Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.
   • Explanation: The article warns that “uncontrolled mining is poisoning the remaining water sources with chemicals, methane, carcinogens and radioactive isotopes,” directly linking chemical and radioactive contamination to health risks for the population.
3. Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
   • Explanation: The article demonstrates a complete failure to meet this target. Residents have water “for only several hours a week,” and it is not safe, described as “pungent, yellow or brown.” The fact that people resort to extracting water from tree leaves underscores the lack of access.
4. Target 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation.
   • Explanation: The article provides a stark example of the lack of sanitation, noting that residents “have nothing to flush their toilets with and resort to plastic bags to collect faeces.” This indicates a regression to unsafe and inadequate sanitation practices.
5. Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.
   • Explanation: The article describes a severe decline in water quality. It mentions that separatists “stopped pumping water from abandoned mines, causing chemicals, heavy metal salts and methane to rise to the surface, poisoning groundwater, lakes and rivers.” The potential for radioactive contamination from the flooded Yunyi Kommunar mine further highlights the failure to meet this target.
6. Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
   • Explanation: The crisis is centered in “apartment buildings with centralised water and heat supplies” in Donetsk. The failure of these basic services, particularly water and the subsequent impact on heating systems for the winter, directly relates to this target.
7. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services.
   • Explanation: The article describes how mining “causes tectonic cracks that swallow entire bodies of water” and how chemicals from abandoned mines are “poisoning groundwater, lakes and rivers.” This points to the destruction, rather than conservation, of freshwater ecosystems.
8. Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
   • Explanation: The article highlights institutional failure and corruption. The new canal built from Russia “keeps malfunctioning because of the poor quality of pipes,” and the Russian Deputy Defence Minister who oversaw its construction “was sentenced to 13 years in jail for embezzlement.” This points to a lack of effective and accountable institutions.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article contains several qualitative and quantitative descriptions that can serve as indicators of the current status of these targets.

• Indicator for Target 6.1 (Access to Safe Water): The proportion of the population without access to safely managed drinking water is implicitly 100% for many. Specific indicators mentioned are:
  • Water availability is limited to “several hours a week.”
  • Residents are forced to use survival techniques like “extract[ing] water from tree leaves.”
  • Qualitative descriptions of water quality: “pungent, yellow or brown,” and “the colour of urine.”
• Indicator for Target 6.2 (Access to Sanitation): The proportion of the population without access to safely managed sanitation services is extremely high. The key indicator is the practice of “resort[ing] to plastic bags to collect faeces.”
• Indicator for Target 3.3 (Water-borne diseases): The incidence of specific diseases is a direct indicator. The article mentions “outbreaks of cholera, dysentery and other water-borne diseases” and a case of “keratitis.”
• Indicator for Target 6.3 (Water Quality): The presence of pollutants serves as an indicator. The article specifies contamination from “chemicals, heavy metal salts and methane” and the future risk of “Radioactive isotopes” from the Yunyi Kommunar mine.
• Indicator for Target 11.1 (Access to Basic Services): The functionality of municipal services is an indicator. The article states that “central heating systems will not run without water,” indicating a failure of basic services in urban housing.
• Indicator for Target 16.6 (Corruption): The prevalence of bribery and corruption is an indicator. The article provides a specific example: the embezzlement case involving the “$2.45bn canal” project and the subsequent jailing of a high-ranking official.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: aljazeera.com