Vitebsk discussed issues of efficiency of the country's water supply and sewerage sector
The plenary session was attended by Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Anatoly Sivak, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Subbotin, Minister of Housing and Communal Services Andrei Khmel, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Housing Policy of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Viktor Nikolaikin, representatives of the Academy of Sciences, ministries and departments, and other officials.
As the host, Alexander Subbotin welcomed the participants and wished them fruitful work. Everyone who came here can share successful work experience that others can adopt to solve issues more effectively. Water is one of the most important aspects of human life. There are many accumulated problems in the water supply and sewerage system that require resolution to live more comfortably and prosperously, emphasized the head of the region.
Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Sivak delivered a strong message for active discussion of the topic "On the efficiency of the water supply and sewerage economy, development prospects, and priority areas of the industry." The work of specialists in this field is judged by the number of pipes laid, reduction of water losses, established tariffs for water and sewerage, etc. And the figures for these indicators seem good, but... No one can answer the most important questions. How much water is extracted from the depths of the country per day, per year? How many wells do we have? Is it good that water consumption is falling? Perhaps because we are not developing this service? Why don't we go to horticultural associations and take over their networks? If construction with water supply is underway in the private sector, should the issue of wastewater disposal hang in the air? These and other problems are tied to the economy; all aspects must be considered, calculated, and justified. The economy of water is the main thing, then the work will be effective, believes Anatoly Sivak.
Specialists have developed their own views and positions on these issues over the years, and we want them to be looked at in a new way. And we succeeded in this, judging by the reaction of the event participants, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
Aleksey Khvalko, General Director of UP "Vitebskobvodokanal", shared his five-year work experience. This enterprise was created then, combining the capabilities of 8 branches, and now it operates profitably. The profit from the sale of works and services last year amounted to 3.6 million rubles. For the first time, the indicator of water loss and unaccounted-for expenses in the networks was achieved: with a target of 12%, it was 11.7% last year. This became possible due to the replacement of networks (more than 460 km in 5 years), prompt elimination of emergency situations, dismantling of 2.2 thousand unclaimed water intake hydrants, plugging of 220 artesian wells, and installation of 560 water flow meters at the wells.
It is enough to say that the enterprise performs 80% of all work by its own efforts, from design and construction to operation of facilities. Due to this, more than 23 million rubles of budget funds are saved annually.
They were the first in the republic to introduce the practice of working with unified regional tariffs for services for legal entities, without attracting budget subsidies to compensate for part of the costs of providing services to the population. In all districts of the region, unified tariffs have created equal operating conditions in terms of payments for consumed water and discharged wastewater, the General Director noted.
Despite the acceptance of water and sewage facilities (VKH) onto its balance sheet not in the best condition and the commissioning of new ones, there is an annual positive trend in reducing specific electricity consumption rates for water lifting and supply, and for wastewater reception, pumping, and treatment.
Over five years of operation, approximately 16 million rubles of costs for providing services to the population have been saved, including 4.2 million rubles last year, which ensured the fulfillment of the assigned tasks.
The costs of the population of the Vitebsk region for water supply services amounted to 1.2996 rubles/m³, for sewerage – 0.9919 rubles/m³, which ensured the fulfillment of the normative level of costs for utility services.
Today, the provision of consumers in the Vitebsk region with water of normative quality is 98.9%, centralized water supply systems cover 95%, and sewerage – 77.3%.
Within the framework of the subprogram "Clean Water" implementation, 165 iron removal stations have been built, and more than 30 settlements in the region have been connected to centralized water supply networks with water of normative quality, reported Alexey Khvalko. In addition, where it was not cost-effective to build such facilities, the practice of installing mini iron removal stations for water on existing artesian wells is used. They have appeared in 54 settlements in the region. This year, it is planned to install 53 mini-stations in small villages.
Participants of the seminar-meeting visited one such facility in the settlement of Dobreika, Vitebsk district. The mini iron removal station here provides quality water to about 200 households.
The task is to provide 100% of the region's population with water of normative quality by 2025.
It was interesting for the seminar participants to learn about the experience of using sewage sludge as fertilizer. More than 1 million tons of it have accumulated in our region. Until recently, no one knew what to do with it or how to dispose of it. About 30 thousand tons of sewage sludge are generated annually at the treatment facilities of "Vitebskvodokanal". The waste is stored in the Vitebsk district on a 54-hectare area, divided into 32 plots. Employees of the enterprise, together with scientists, proposed using specific waste as fertilizer. A huge amount of work has been done in this direction, taking into account environmental, sanitary, and other standards to ensure that the fertilizers are safe for use and that the waste on the site does not pollute the environment.
"Vitebskoblvokanal" has chosen a good path in working with sewage sludge, emphasized the Minister of Housing and Communal Services Andrei Khmel. The main task is to assess efficiency, it's all about economics. The Brest waste processing plant also works with such waste. And it's doing well too. But we need to compare what is cheaper, what is more economically beneficial, he noted.