Expert: Agriculture in the Northern Crimea is almost impossible due to soil salinity
The lack of water in the Crimea’s northern regions, where rice was previously grown, has actually destroyed the possibility of developing the area’s agriculture. This was said by the director of Ukraine’s Institute of Water Problems and Land Reclamation of NAAS, Mikhailo Romashchenko, while on The Issue of National Security TV program, Krym.Realii reported.
“Today, we have seen a problem of secondary salinization arising in all areas where rice cultivation was developed and where the soil was rinsed. This means that people will be unable to engage in agricultural production, not only because water is unavailable, but because the natural processes in such conditions will go in a completely different direction. Previously fertile soil will undergo rapid degradation and the process of salinization will make agriculture almost impossible, even in the presence of precipitation,” Romashchenko explained.
He also said that Crimean water is only enough for half of the population, which equates to approximately one million people.
Kremlin-controlled Crimean authorities insist that they will be able to cope with the water supply of the peninsula, despite the lack of water in the North Crimean channel.
After Russia’s annexation of the Crimea, Ukraine stopped supplying water to the peninsula through the North Crimean Canal, which connects the main channel of the Dnipro River to the peninsula. Ukraine provided up to 85% of the Crimea’s water through this channel.