Development of Irrigation: Discussion at the Ministry of Economy on the Transfer of Hydraulic Melioration Assets to Water User Organizations
Ukraine is actively improving the melioration sector, and one of the important steps in this process is the transfer of state hydraulic melioration assets to water user organizations (WUOs). This topic was the focus of a meeting led by Iryna Ovcharenko, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine.
Participants of the meeting – representatives of key water sector state institutions and various organizations – discussed the progress of reforms, the work of WUOs, and ways to effectively transfer hydraulic melioration assets.
⏩ According to the Deputy Minister, the State Water Agency needs to redirect its work towards water resource management, ensuring their availability for citizens, agricultural producers, and industry in the country.
It was determined that WUOs receive only technical facilities for irrigation, while the water resources themselves remain state property according to legislation. The privatization of water bodies in any form is impossible. Ukrainian melioration systems require immediate modernization, and WUOs can attract investments to improve infrastructure in case of limited state funding.
Participants of the meeting supported the proposal to accelerate the inventory and transfer of state hydraulic melioration assets to WUOs to ensure their productive activities.
The initiatives for transferring hydraulic melioration assets to WUOs are an important step in the development of irrigation in Ukraine and improving water resource management.