A main water pipeline has been launched in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, built “from scratch” after the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam.“Water is already being supplied from Zaporizhzhia to the pumping and filtration station in Marhanets (first branch), where it is purified and distributed to consumers in the Marhanets, Myrove, Shyroke, and Tomakivka communities. The second branch will supply water to Nikopol, Pokrovske, and Chervonohryhorivka (Dnipropetrovsk region),” wrote Maksym Shkil, owner of the Autostrada group of companies, which was the contractor for the pipeline construction.According to him, Autostrada completed the construction and preparation of the pipeline for launch back in February, but had to wait for the determination of the facility’s balance holder and for a stable power supply. Shkil noted that the facility was built in just 7 months—from design to implementation—a record time frame.“Designing, obtaining technical conditions, approvals, and permits, and the actual construction took place simultaneously—designers, surveyors, and builders worked in a coordinated manner and in parallel—directly on-site, in a 24/7 mode! These were extremely difficult tasks, but we solved them!” wrote the Autostrada owner. According to him, the pipeline system is fully automated and computerized, operating entirely from a permanent power source.The network length is 77.9 km. The pipeline’s design capacity is 150,000 m³ of water per day. “It was important to take water directly from the Dnipro River, which has a constant inflow of fresh water. Since access to the Dnipro riverbed is limited in many areas due to ongoing enemy shelling, it was decided to draw water from Zaporizhzhia,” Shkil noted. He added that the designers mapped the routes primarily using existing maps, as conducting a full survey would have taken too long. Only after the pipeline was laid did they verify everything with geodetic measurements.“Pipes were installed where open methods were impossible—under roads, railways, and rivers—using horizontal drilling. A drilling rig bored a well, into which a steel casing was inserted, followed by the fiberglass pipe,” explained the entrepreneur. He also added that to ensure the water pipeline’s power supply, a 26-kilometer primary and backup power line network (6kV and 35kV) was built. As an alternative (backup) power source, each substation is equipped with two diesel generators with a capacity of up to 1 MW each.“To protect the pipeline from shelling, almost the entire system of main pipelines and pumping stations is hidden underground. After the work was completed, the roads used by construction equipment were repaired, the surrounding areas were landscaped, and greenery was planted,” he added.According to Shkil, due to the lack of timely financing, the construction was carried out mainly using the company’s own credit and working capital. “Despite the pipeline being 100% ready since February, the state’s debt to Autostrada for this project alone is 1.5 billion UAH. I hope this issue will be resolved soon. Thanks to the team for an excellent job!” concluded the entrepreneur.https://enovosty.com/uk/news-ukr/news_economy-ukr/full/1706-majzhe-povnistyu-pid-zemleyu-autostrada-zapustila-v-robotu-magistralnij-vodogin-zaporizhzhya-tomakivka-marganec