War and Challenges for the Housing and Utilities Sector: How to Develop and Modernize Communities Despite Everything

Challenges in the infrastructure sector in Ukraine existed long before the full-scale Russia’s invasion. However, the war has only exacerbated an already difficult situation. 

Over the past two and a half  years, the housing and utilities infrastructure has endured significant damage and continues to face daily destruction. Continuous enemy attacks make it increasingly difficult to repair and maintain critical energy systems, which lead to power outages even with reduced consumption in the summer.

Over the past six months, the Community-Led Inclusive Recovery (CLIR) initiative team of the SURGe Project has been providing expert support to 14 local communities across 7 oblasts of Ukraine in developing strategic planning documents in five different sectors, including infrastructure. The experts employ a human-centred approach, comprehensive Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), Results-Based Management (RBM) methodology, and sectoral immersion.

The experts conducted a needs assessment of residents and business of communities and analysed how the housing and utilities sector operates within the community. They not only help communities identify existing problems and community’s needs but also find solutions that will form the basis of the Community Development Strategy and find resources to address critical issues that require immediate attention.

For instance, residents of the Oleksandrivska community in Donetsk Oblast are living under constant air raid alerts and attacks on energy infrastructure. During a needs assessment by experts from the CLIR initiative, it was identified that one of the community’s critical infrastructure needs is to provide approximately 1,000 residents with reliable electricity and heating. The CLIR initiative experts coordinated the search for and helped arrange 8 powerful generators from the Charity Fund Swedish Aid Center to equip the community’s shelters.

“Our community was in a critical situation because our existing generator couldn’t cover the needs of the entire community during power outages. But now, thanks to the support of our partners, we can ensure the continuous operation of critical facilities and shelters,” says Lyudmyla Borysevych, Head of the Oleksandrivska Village Military Administration.

Issues with water supply is another challenge that many Ukrainian communities face on a daily basis. Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka Reservoir has only exacerbated the already critical water supply issues, particularly in communities in the Dnipropetrovska, Mykolaivska, and Khersonska Oblasts, which were dependent on its resources. Many of these communities were already struggling with water supply issues before the disaster, but afterward, they effectively lost their primary water source.

In Bereznehuvate, Mykolaivska Oblast, drinking water was previously delivered by private entrepreneurs. However, due to the ongoing hostilities and daily shelling, most of them have left, leaving the community without water supply. After conducting a needs assessment in the community, CLIR experts identified the two following solutions. One temporary solution to this problem could be the purchase of a water delivery truck to ensure residents have access to drinking water. On the other hand, a more permanent solution could be the construction of a main water pipeline.

“Right now, international organizations deliver water to our community once a week, but it’s not enough to meet the drinking water needs of all our residents. That’s why we’re working to improve the situation and seeking partners who can help us acquire two water tankers to deliver water to residents across 22 settlements in the Bereznehuvate community that lack centralized water supply,” says Serhiy Boyko, Head of the Bereznehuvate Village Council.

Once the Community Development Strategy and its accompanying Action Plan are finalized and approved, communities will have a clear roadmap that will enable them to plan their collaboration with partners and donors effectively.

Thus, the Strategy will help not only ensure transparency in relations with donors, but also reduce the risks associated with project implementation and facilitate the successful attraction of investments necessary for the reconstruction and development of housing and utilities services on the ground.