1995 Kharkiv drinking water disaster
Chronology
On June 29, 1995 a torrential rain flooded streets of Kharkiv, Ukraine. Sometime after the rain the Dikanyovka waste water treatment plant was flooded as well, since it was designed to collect water from city's storm drains along with sewage. This resulted in spill of polluted and untreated water into the nearby Udy River. To prevent further spillage, the local authorities stopped tap water supply for the entire city until water was pumped out of the flooded well and pumps were replaced. It took about a month to resume supply of treated tap water. During this period the local authorities established limited drink water distribution to organizations (including hospitals) and population. Drinking water was brought up by tank trucks to designated areas for distribution. Several international organizations [1] including NATO stepped up to help. In fact, this was the first cooperation between NATO and Ukraine.[2]
Aftermath
The government had to privatize a few local state-owned plants and factories in order to get funds to make necessary improvements.