War and sanitary-epidemiological situation in Ukraine
The State Consumer Service reported that the war in Ukraine negatively affects the sanitary-epidemiological situation in the country due to the destruction of infrastructure, disruptions in water supply, and pollution of the environment, which impacts the quality of drinking water. In the first half of 2025, the State Consumer Service inspected 7,715 water supply facilities, of which 5,328 (69%) were found to have violations, primarily from decentralized sources.
Laboratory studies showed that in 22,611 cases, water from centralized water supply had deviations in sanitary-chemical indicators, while more than 800 discrepancies were found in decentralized sources. Deputy Head of the State Consumer Service, Andriy Kreitor, emphasized that the quality of water and air is vital during wartime, and monitoring these resources is critically important.
"During wartime, the quality of water and air is critically important for health and safety. Monitoring these resources is a matter of life"
The State Consumer Service conducted over 690,000 laboratory studies and issued more than 3,000 recommendations to authorities to minimize risks. Currently, special attention is being paid to decentralized sources, for which regular monitoring and cooperation with local authorities are important to ensure safe water supply. It should also be noted that in several areas of Kyiv, a specific "fishy" smell of water was observed, which was related to the natural phenomenon of active reproduction of diatom algae.
Experts recommend checking well water in specialized laboratories due to potential hazards that may arise from uncontrolled use of fertilizers in agriculture.
The State Consumer Service emphasized that military activities in Ukraine influence the sanitary-epidemiological situation in the country, disrupting water supply systems and polluting the environment, which leads to a deterioration in the quality of drinking water. The presence of violations detected in more than two-thirds of water supply facilities in the first half of 2025 requires attention and immediate action from authorities to address the issues.