Ukraine’s water utilities are under immense strain due to the severity of attacks during the full-scale war, lack of English language and structural thinking capabilities.
In response, the Critical Infrastructure Need Assessment Tool (CIRNAT) was developed to address these challenges, with support from the Dutch Embassy in Ukraine. Through collaboration with water experts and organizations like UNICEF, CIRNAT is now helping Ukrainian water companies assess risks, prioritize urgent needs, and improve resilience. As of this moment CIRNAT has already gained international recognition from various International Financial institutions.
Problem statement & solution
Ukraine’s water utilities (vodokanals) face severe challenges due to the full scale war:
- Damaged infrastructure (figure 1 below)
- Diverting essential machinery for use on the frontline
- Rising electricity costs but inability to increase water tariff (creating a budget queeze)
- Personnel drafted into the military
- Inefficient and 40 year old soviet infrastructure (see figure 2 below)
Figure 1: looking down at the 8 meters deep cast-iron pipes that have endured significant damage due to shockwaves. The impact has caused cracks, leading to leaks in the water supply system.
Figure 2: old cast iron pipes in Lozova need to be replaced
International Financial Institutions help, but as we saw during our field visits in Sumy, Kharkiv (Zmiiv and Lozova, see pictures above) and Mykolaiv (Snihurivka), language barriers (1) and a lack of ability to structure and prioritize needs (2) significantly complicate and slow the delivery of much-needed aid and investment.
In response, we built the Critical Infrastructure Need Assessment Tool (CIRNAT), with generous support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine.
Figure 3: signing the declaration of intent with, from left to right, Mustafa Nayyem (Agency for Restoration of Ukraine), Jeroen Ketting (Founder Lifeline Ukraine), Jennes de Mol (former Dutch Ambassador to Ukraine) and Olga Krasko (head of Ukrainian Lifeline Ukraine).
Collaboration and partners
Together with water experts @Henk Nieboer, @Hans Vrieling, the Unicef WASH cluster, the Agency for Restoration of Ukraine, and Ukrainian software company Levi9 we:
- Designed and built CIRNAT, a free to use software tool based on the established asset management methodology “FMECA”
- Coached, guided and helped five Ukrainian water companies assess their risks and prioritize urgent needs using CIRNAT. |
- Provided training to the management teams to better structure and prioritize needs.
- Shared our knowledge and experience with other actors in the Dutch and Ukrainian water sector
CIRNAT is now gaining international attention as a tool to overcome these barriers and deliver critical solutions to water utility companies all over Ukraine.
The challenges faced by vodokanals are not unique; they are common across many municipal enterprises in Eastern Ukraine. CIRNAT’s flexible design allows it to be adapted for use by other municipal entities, further increasing its value.
As of September 2024, we’ve submitted our report to the Dutch Embassy and are in talks with potential sponsors to scale CIRNAT further. Please reach out to us if you wish to know more.
A big thanks to the Agency for Restoration of Ukraine, Mustafa Nayyem, Esselien van Eerten, Jennes de Mol, Unicef WASH cluster, Marion Chambart and Mirjam Klinkeberg, Levi9 (Nazar Panchykha, Mykhailo Hryhorash, Dmytro Galov, Yevhen Sirotin), Hans Vrieling and Henk Nieboer.
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