Kyiv is only 40% ready for winter: what risks for heat and water supply did the expert name?

Kyiv’s level of preparedness for the upcoming heating season and possible attacks on critical infrastructure is currently estimated at around 40%. At the same time, at the beginning of the development of resilience plans in February, this figure was only 1.5%.

This was stated by Serhiy Sukhomlyn, the former head of the Agency for the Restoration and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine, during a public event. According to him, for comparison, the starting readiness of Kharkiv was 51%, and Chernihiv was 24%.

How critical infrastructure is protected in Kyiv

The construction of protective structures at Kyiv substations, which began in early May, is approximately 80% complete. The Restoration Agency and the city authorities plan to complete the work by the end of September.

One of the key areas of preparation for the capital remains the decentralization of heat supply. Instead of relying exclusively on large CHPs, it is proposed to develop a network of protected semi-underground boiler houses with a capacity of 40 to 120 MW.

Separately, 520 MW of new semi-underground capacities with a second level of protection are being built in Kyiv. They are to work together with CHP-4 and CHP-5 and provide backup heat supply, in particular for Rusanivka and Bereznyaki. Completion of these facilities is expected in December.

The greatest risk is water and sewage

Sukhomlyn called water supply systems and sewage pumping stations the most vulnerable facilities.

Their damage can lead to serious consequences: from water supply interruptions and problems in the operation of heating networks to the risk of untreated wastewater entering the Dnieper.

As part of preparations for such scenarios, mobile water supply stations are being deployed in the capital, in particular.

At the same time, the indicator of 40% should not be equated with the general readiness of the Kyiv heat supply system. The material notes that the readiness of the city’s heat supply system for the heating season was estimated at almost 90%.