Mariupol Occupiers Distribute Water Contaminated With Fecal Bacteria as Residents Struggle To Survive

(Photo : Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
Occupiers of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol have distributed "drinking" water that was found to have been contaminated with fecal bacteria. The situation is made even more dire after Russian troops admitted that it was impossible to restore water supply in the region because the water supply system was destroyed by their shellings.

Mariupol occupiers have distributed "drinking" water that was found to have been contaminated with fecal bacteria as residents of the region struggle to survive due to the water supply not being restored.

Volunteers were able to take a liquid sample of the water and sent it to Ukrainian-controlled territory for testing. The results of the analysis showed that it contained coliform bacteria, which is usually found in feces.

Contaminated Drinking Water

Experts from Vodocanal, the water utility, explained that based on the rules and regulations on sanitation, no coliforms may be present in drinking water. These types of bacteria fall into the e-coli group and are frequently found in surface waters. An official said that the distributed water is not sufficiently decontaminated for human consumption.

A doctor, Oleksandr Lazarenko, stated that the contaminated water is not fit for human consumption because it risks infecting a person with dysentery, cholera, or other pathogenic microorganisms. Health experts said that the water must at least be boiled first for it to be decontaminated for consumption, as per Pravda.

The situation comes as Mariupol residents continue to struggle to live among the ruins of their hometown. The fighting in the region ended two months ago when Russian troops claimed victory after thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands were forced to flee.

After the brutal fighting in the region, the previously estimated population of 430,000 was reduced to roughly in the tens of thousands. Five residents who were interviewed said they were struggling to get by every single day despite efforts by the city's Russian-installed administrators to try and rebuild.

According to Reuters, one resident, Tatyana Khandeldy, sat outside on a stool with her neighbors surrounded by apartment blocks with their windows blown out, and walls covered in bullet and shell holes. They noted that they were still hoping for the best but argued that their optimism was slowly fading away every day.

Restoring Water Supply

Residents who were left in Mariupol boiled kettles and fried potatoes on open fires in their yards as people's belongings still lay on the street where they had been blown by blasts that gutted some apartment blocks.

According to the United Nations, 90% of the city's buildings were destroyed after Russia used tanks, artillery, and air strikes to try to dislodge Ukrainian defenders. Last month, a UN top official said that at least 1,348 civilians were killed, including 70 children, and that the final toll was probably thousands higher with Kyiv estimating 22,000 civilian losses.

Russian troops that have occupied Mariupol said that the restoration of water supply in the region is currently impossible due to the destruction of water supply systems that were struck by their shellings.

In a Telegram post, Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor, said that the occupiers have admitted the problem with the water supply. The same issue applies to a large part of the Tsentralny and Prymorsky districts. The funnel from a Russian FAB-1000 air-dropped bomb in the city center clearly shows why it is impossible to restore the water supply, Ukrinform reported.