Prospects of Ukraine’s Water Resources under the Development of the Mining Industry

Abstract

The article examines current trends in the transformation of Ukraine’s water resources under the influence of mining industry development, using the Inhulets River basin as one of the most technogenically impacted water systems in the country. It has been established that the long-term discharge of highly mineralized mine waters from enterprises of the Kryvyi Rih basin causes a persistent exceedance of the maximum permissible concentrations for chlorides, sulfates, and total mineralization. Analysis of the data provided by the Basin Water Resources Administration and the State Water Resources Agency of Ukraine for 2021–2025 indicates that even after scheduled flushing operations from the Karachunivske Reservoir, the parameters rapidly return to critical levels: mineralization exceeds 2.0 g/dm³ and chloride concentrations reach 1200–1500 mg/dm³, which is 2–4 times higher than the standards defined in DSTU 2730:2015 “Water quality for irrigation”. It was revealed that in the lower reaches of the river during the summer period of 2024–2025, the highest level of hydrochemical load is observed, accompanied by a decrease in dissolved oxygen content to 2.3–2.5 mg/L, indicating a reduced self-purification capacity of the aquatic system. A comparative analysis of international experience demonstrates that effective water resource management requires closed water-use cycles, desalination technologies, digital monitoring, and clearly defined environmental obligations. The implementation of adaptive management will contribute to reducing technogenic pressure, stabilizing the hydrochemical regime of the Inhulets River, and restoring the ecological potential of water bodies.