The government has selected two regions—Odessa and Zhytomyr—for a pilot project to establish operators of reclamation (melioration) systems. This was reported by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture.
Odessa and Zhytomyr regions were selected taking into account climatic characteristics and their capacity for self-financing (cost-recovery) operations.
A reclamation system operator is a state non-profit enterprise, whose supervisory board may include farmers and other water users. These operators will gain financial independence, be able to attract investment, and plan their activities on a long-term basis.
The irrigation operator is planned to be launched on the basis of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Interdistrict Water Management Department, while the drainage operator will be based on the Zhytomyr branch of the state institution Ukrainian Hydromelioration Systems. These regions were selected considering climatic characteristics and their capacity for cost-recovery operations.
“The creation of reclamation system operators marks a new stage in the reform of hydraulic land reclamation in Ukraine. The main idea is to build a management system for reclamation infrastructure in which the state and water users act as partners to develop efficient irrigation and drainage, taking environmental requirements into account,” the Ministry of Economy explained.
Deputy Minister Taras Vysotskyi noted that Ukraine is transitioning from a model where the state independently maintains these systems to a partnership model between the state and water users.
