The challenge of water scarcity, especially regarding quality drinking water, has emerged as a global concern in the 21st century, and it's also pertinent to Ukraine. Despite being the largest country in Europe by land area, Ukraine has only half the renewable freshwater resources available per capita compared to other European nations. Around 90% of the water demands of Ukraine's population, industry, and agriculture are fulfilled by surface waters. However, the proportion of groundwater used for domestic drinking water supply in Ukraine is less than 30%, contrasting with the 70% figure seen in EU countries.
Recognizing the adverse impacts stemming from geological exploration and the extraction of energy and mineral resources in Ukraine, including the contamination of drinking water sources, NADRA GROUP companies have prioritized the protection of aquifers across their operations. Particularly, in projects related to oil and gas exploration and extraction, measures to preserve groundwater were implemented at every stage, from well drilling to deposit exploitation.
While constructing 3D models of deposits using a comprehensive dataset of seismic, geophysical, and industrial information, hydrogeology experts were consulted regarding the presence and intervals of aquifers and aquifer complexes. Specialists always incorporated measures to safeguard groundwater and surface water from contamination when planning well drilling.
During the operation of deposits and the execution of operations and surveys in active oil and gas wells, the technical condition was monitored using state-of-the-art equipment from Sondex (UK), especially in the intervals where aquifers are situated. Recommendations were provided to clients, primarily extraction companies, regarding well repairs to prevent the contamination of surface and groundwater drinking water supplies with acids, alkalis, surfactants, polymer solutions, and other chemical reagents used during oil and gas exploration and extraction.
In over 30 years of operation, NADRA GROUP companies have undertaken a series of projects aimed at exploring groundwater sources for drinking and economic purposes, involving the drilling of both exploratory and operational wells.
Projects were conducted to explore and utilize mineral and thermal waters. Research was funded on the therapeutic properties of carbonic-ferrous mineral waters in the Transcarpathian region, alongside the development of water treatment methods for bottling while adhering to quality standards. Studies of thermal waters in this region, where underground waters with temperatures ranging from 40-60°C were accessed at depths of 55 to 1,500 meters by boreholes, and up to 90-100°C at depths of up to 2,000 meters, demonstrated the economic feasibility of utilizing them for heating via the creation of underground circulation systems. However, their most economically viable application today is for balneotherapy.
Between 2015 and 2018, specialists from NADRA GROUP companies, collaborating with the Ukrainian Association of Geologists, contributed to the execution of the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme project "KINDRA" (Knowledge Inventory for Hydrogeology Research). This initiative entailed evaluating scientific and practical knowledge, as well as the state of research concerning groundwater at the EU level.
In Ukraine, a monitoring system has been established to oversee groundwater levels, hydrogeological conditions, changes in groundwater quality over time, as well as water extraction and its impact on the surrounding natural and human-made environment, and vice versa. This system currently encompasses the state's groundwater inventory, the State Water Cadastre (specifically for groundwater), maintenance of the state's exploitable reserves balance, and groundwater level monitoring. Steps have been taken towards transitioning to integrated water resource management using a basin-based approach. According to the requirements of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, monitoring is mandatory for sites from which more than 100 m3 is extracted. Special permits for subsurface use are not required for water bodies with a flow rate not exceeding 300 m3/day in Ukraine, and consequently, regulatory observations are not conducted for sites with a flow rate of 100-300 m3/day.
Experts from NADRA GROUP companies are actively involved in the ongoing GSEU project – Geological Survey for Europe (2022-2026), which includes a dedicated section specifically focused on groundwater. The objective of this water-related aspect of the project is to safeguard Europe's groundwater resources amidst growing pressures stemming from climate change and competing subsurface activities, notably the extraction of mineral and energy resources. This entails enhancing politically significant data regarding strategically vital groundwater resources, refining monitoring techniques, visualizing and mapping both quantitative and qualitative groundwater parameters, and exploring possibilities for temporary storage.
In the initial phase of project implementation, with a focus on groundwater quantity, harmonized data collection is conducted to evaluate resources and groundwater dynamics within the framework of climate change. This stage facilitates the near real-time determination of groundwater levels at monitoring points, while selected representative data is integrated into a unified system of intelligent data management for utilization at the EU level.
In line with Ukraine's water strategy for 2050, ratified by the Cabinet of Ministers on December 9, 2022, the country's water bodies are facing severe challenges as a result of military actions and resultant anthropogenic pollution. This includes the destruction of infrastructure like bridges, dams, and coastal areas, as well as contamination from oil products and heavy metals. Consequently, Ukraine's water ecosystems are suffering irreversible damage and are losing their capacity for natural restoration. The destruction of vital water infrastructure, such as Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and the reservoir dam, has resulted in the uncontrolled release of substantial water volumes, equivalent to 1.5 years of Ukraine's water consumption. The impact of the conflict on water resources is pervasive, affecting all sectors of the economy and transcending national borders. Furthermore, numerous groundwater extraction and supply facilities have been decimated.
In response to these challenges, NADRA GROUP companies, primarily focused on studying and utilizing groundwater, have broadened their activities to address the full spectrum of issues related to water use and conservation, alongside initiatives for water resource restoration and water safety improvement.
The expertise gained from studying and utilizing water resources has equipped experts from NADRA GROUP companies with competencies in sustainable water resource management. This encompasses assessing the quantitative and qualitative attributes of water resources, analysing the potential vulnerability of water and water engineering structures, devising solutions to restore water potential, offering recommendations for adapting Ukraine's water sector to climate change, evaluating natural and human-induced flood risks, understanding the impacts of critical water and water engineering infrastructure destruction and its subsequent rebuilding, providing investment support for water usage, and more.