Two weeks ago, we went on a humanitarian mission to a new location, the town of Nikopol. Nikopol stands on the shore of the shallow Kakhovka Reservoir right across from the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

On June 6, the townspeople, who were already accustomed to daily shelling and the constant threat of a nuclear explosion, faced a new disaster as 2/3 of the residents were left without access to water supply, which depended on the destroyed Kakhovka water reservoir. While a new water pipeline from Zaporizhzhia is being constructed, people are collecting technical water provided by the local authorities in bottles and canisters.  

However, the situation with drinking water remains consistently difficult. Many locals cannot afford to buy bottled water, especially those who receive the minimum wage, which currently amounts to €150. 50% of the 76 employees of the Nikopol Professional College belong to that group. 

That’s why the director of the Professional College, Olena Veretenina, with the help of the Trade Union of Builders, asked Solidarity Collectives to help her employees with water and large canisters. We delivered 350-, 100-, 50-liter canisters and 20 buckets to the employees. We also helped with the purchase of about 4,000 liters of drinking water from a local supplier.

Despite the shelling, the proximity of the occupiers (the distance from the city embankment to the occupied power plant is only 8 km) and the difficult humanitarian situation, the College is not only working, but is also conducting an admission campaign. The resilience of both the team and the people of Nikopol is impressive. Not only shops, post offices, educational institutions and public transportation are open, but also enterprises, including the local giant Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant. Water supply is also gradually being restored. However, there is still a lot of work to be done, so our team is already preparing for the next trips. 

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