Clean Water in Kharkiv

Electricity failed for months. Wells and boreholes that once sustained families no longer provided safe water.

“We had no direct access and had to walk far or rely on deliveries,” Nina* recalls. “When power returned, the water quality had decreased. It was not clean enough for drinking or cooking.”

Like many across eastern Ukraine, her neighbours queued for hours, carried heavy containers, and paid for trucked water that could not meet demand. Across Ukraine, 8.5 million people need help to access safe water and sanitation in 2025. In Kharkiv Oblast, more than one in five communities rely on trucked water, which is costly and unsustainable.

A new borehole brings relief

Today, a borehole and handpump installed by Medair with funding from the European Union and Swiss Solidarity has restored daily access to safe drinking water. The water point serves households and the humanitarian hub, the place where volunteers coordinate support, families collect food, and information is shared.

By supplying the hub directly, the borehole strengthens the lifeline of the whole community. Cooking, cleaning, and distributions are safer and more regular. Firefighters also draw from the pump to extinguish fires after attacks.

“Now we have water close by, which is so convenient,” says Nina*. “The quality of the pump and the water is amazing. It has simplified our lives. We no longer depend on electricity for water.”

War and water scarcity

The war has devastated water, sanitation, and heating systems. Shelling damaged wells and pipelines, treatment plants fell into disrepair, and extended power cuts disrupted entire networks. In some frontline villages, people survive on less than 20 litres a day, far below international average. For older people, people with disabilities, and households headed by women, the lack of nearby water points is especially punishing.

Medair’s wider response in Ukraine

This borehole is part of a broader EU-funded project across Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, aiming to reach more than 10,000 people with reliable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and heating support. Medair teams drill and equip boreholes that work during power cuts, repair damaged networks and supply tools to local providers, deliver emergency water while permanent solutions are built, and upgrade wastewater systems and heating so families can get through winter.

Water restores dignity

For Nina*, the change is about more than water. It is dignity, safety, and the chance to rebuild daily routines despite the destruction around her.

“After the occupation ended and people returned, there was not enough water for everyone,” she says. “The waiting time for trucks was very long. Now we have direct daily access. We see the results every day.”

Partnership that saves lives

This work is possible thanks to the European Union, Swiss Solidarity and private donors. Their funding enables Medair to act quickly, bring technical expertise where it is most needed, and ensure communities are not left alone. Together with Ukrainian specialists and service providers, our teams repair infrastructure and build local capacity to keep systems running.

Choosing hope in uncertainty

Despite the challenges, Nina* chooses hope. She continues to volunteer in the humanitarian hub, helping neighbours and supporting the revival of daily life.  

“I am very grateful to everyone involved,” she says. “Now, thanks to this borehole, we feel a little closer to normality.”

*Name has been changed for security reasons.

This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.  

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