The Multiple Impacts of War
Publisher: Nature Sustainability
Date: 2023
Topics: Public Health, Renewable Resources, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
Countries: Ukraine
In March this year, the World Bank, the Government of Ukraine, the European Union and the United Nations published a report — Ukraine Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment — covering the first year of the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, to inform the extent of the damage suffered by Ukraine and provide an estimate of the likely cost of the recovery. The report estimates an overall damage over the period February 2022 to February 2023 of US$134.7 billion and indicates that for the period 2023–2033, the needs of Ukraine amount to US$410.6 billion. The magnitude of the impacts from the conflict is worrying. Figures in the report show the economic sectors hit the most — housing, transport, energy and extractives, industry and agriculture. A more in-depth look at the detailed figures and analyses also reveals the substantial impacts on irrigation and water resource management as well as water supply and sanitation. The overall damage to the water infrastructure is estimated to be US$2.6 billion, whereas the corresponding needs over the next decade are estimated to be US$16.0 billion. The report highlights how the irrigation and drainage sector, the flood protection sector and the water resource management sector were still in the process of re-building and strengthening when the conflict erupted. Damages inflicted to water resources directly, and indirectly via power outages, have had major impacts on agriculture — a strategic sector globally. According to the report, before the war 70% of water access was offered via a centralized piped supply and 50% of wastewater collection and treatment services was centralized, although with urban–rural inequalities. The war has inevitably made an already challenging situation worse. Despite emergency measures and the efforts of communal service providers, millions of Ukrainians receive intermittent water supply and sanitation services, a situation carrying substantial risks. The report emphasizes the challenges of collecting reliable data, particularly to assess water supply and sanitation damages and losses, hinting at a likely underestimation of the impacts.