The handover of a modern suction vehicle to the Ukrainian water supplier Chernihivvodokanal took place in Altenmünster, Bavaria. The suction vehicle from the local company Wiedemann enviro tec GmbH means that only one specialist will be needed to clean the sewers in future.

The need to improve the sewage system in Ukraine became clear in the course of this partnership. Many blockages and deposits in the sewers, which have accumulated over the years, have so far required considerable effort on the part of the Ukrainian partners. Cleaning the sewers is crucial in order to repair damage or document the condition through inspections with camera vehicles.

‘That's why it was important to us to provide our Ukrainian partners with effective solutions for their daily work,’ emphasises Tammo Janßen from OOWV. ’We can use the suction vehicle to clean blockages from the sewer network. We are delighted that the manufacturer trained us in how to use the vehicle when it was handed over,’ reports Serhii Bashlak from Ukraine.

The latest technology of the suction vehicle enables the driver to operate all functions of the vehicle via wireless radio remote control. With the special powerful and energy-saving Wiedemann water ring vacuum pump, the vehicle operates sustainably and quietly and can collect over ten tonnes of sewer sludge. A small high-pressure flushing system enables simultaneous flushing for cleaning work. Numerous modern features such as a reversing camera, a right-turn indicator and a blind spot warning system ensure the safety of the employee during the operation and provide greater road safety.

Ulrich Siemermann, responsible for sewer cleaning vehicles at OOWV, adds: ‘The handover of this suction vehicle marks significant progress in the co-operation between OOWV and its Ukrainian partners. It emphasises the commitment of both sides to an improved wastewater infrastructure and helps to sustainably improve the quality of life of people in Ukraine.’

 
High-quality analysers, power tools and many other relief supplies are ready and waiting: this is the fourth time that practical aid from the Oldenburgisch-Ostfriesischer Wasserverband (OOWV) has travelled to Ukraine to support the water suppliers and wastewater disposal companies - and ultimately all the people - in the north-east of the war-torn country.

What exactly is needed has been determined together with the Ukrainian partners: Several mobile pumps and the associated hoses are needed at sewage treatment plants. A system for independent power supply is to protect the new gas and ion chromatographs for the drinking water laboratory in Sumy from power failures. ‘These high-quality analytical devices will help to analyse the drinking water in Sumy and at other suppliers in the north-east of the country for pollutants such as pesticides or nitrates and thus make the number one foodstuff safer for everyone,’ explains project manager Tammo Janßen, who is responsible for international cooperation at OOWV. The procured goods also include electrical measuring devices and toolboxes, which will enable the electrical engineering department to find and rectify faults in electrical cables. The OOWV is also donating three office desks and two office chairs.

Many energetic helpers from the OOWV team made the procurement financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development possible. Some of them have now inspected the packages of the last aid delivery for the time being in the warehouse at the Nethen waterworks. Employees from many areas of OOWV were involved in the selection, ordering and dispatch of the right relief supplies: The wastewater treatment plant, waterworks, operations centre, laboratory, purchasing, asset management electrical engineering, electrical workshop, vehicle fleet, post office and the caretakers were all involved. The OOWV department responsible for international co-operation coordinated the efforts. And wastewater treatment plant employee Juri Wunder helped with communication thanks to his Russian language skills.

The procured laboratory technology is currently being installed. The next steps are technical support by OOWV laboratory teams from January 2025 and professional training on the procured laboratory technology for the Ukrainian laboratory technicians at the manufacturer Thermo Fischer in Germany. This special laboratory technology, e.g. two chromatographs, was previously not available in northern Ukraine: drinking water samples that needed to be analysed always had to be sent to Kyiv or Kharkiv. This resulted in a delay in the analysis. Thanks to the solidarity operator partnership with Ukraine, this delay will no longer occur in future. As a lighthouse project, the laboratory will then also be able to analyse samples for the other water suppliers in the region. This will also address the Ukrainian population's concerns about drinking water poisoning from Russia.

The female laboratory manager and the female laboratory technicians are being given resources for the first time with this measure. Previously, the focus had mainly been on the Network and Operations departments. This means that the work of female employees is being recognised. It is therefore also a gender measure that contributes to SDG 6 ‘Gender Equality’. A laboratory course for Ukrainian female laboratory technicians took place in March 2024; further information can be found in the news article from March.

 
The ReBuild Ukraine trade fair took place in Warsaw again this year. Last year, Tammo Janßen (OOWV) travelled to the trade fair together with his partner companies from Sumy and Chernihiv. This year too, the partners learnt about the latest developments in the wastewater sector by exchanging ideas with manufacturers at the trade fair.