Dnipro water fills North Crimean Canal after 8-year pause

SIMFEROPOL. March 28 (Interfax) - The North Crimean Canal is fully filled with Dnipro water in the Russian internal republic of Crimea, where for eight years there was no water from this river, Deputy Chair of the Crimean State Water Resources Committee Albert Kangiev said on Monday.

"Today, there is water not only at the first pumping station, today the entire North Crimean Canal is filled with water, all under pressure," the official said on Radio Krym.

The construction of the 400 km-long North Crimean Canal, which is designed to supply Crimea's arid zones with water from the Dnipro River, was carried out between 1961 and 1971. The canal was used not only for the needs of agriculture and industrial pond fish farming, but also as a source of centralized household and drinking water supply.

Ukraine, which did not agree with Crimea's reunification with Russia following the referendum on the region's status, cut off the Dnipro water supply in 2014.

In February 2022, during a special operation in Ukraine, the Russian military unblocked the canal by removing the concrete dam. The authorities are preparing the infrastructure to receive and distribute water.

The Crimean Agriculture Ministry previously said that the launch of the canal would boost the development of the agricultural sector, as the Dnipro water will enable the revival of water-dependent crops, increase vegetable output, and effectively develop the fishing, livestock, and food industries. In particular, several enterprises started to prepare for rice production from 2022.