TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WATER REMOVAL TARIFFS ON DRAINED LANDS OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article highlights the main provisions of setting tariffs for water removal services for drainage. The application of tariffs is considered as an economic tool for increasing the efficiency of the use of drained lands when implementing the Strategy of Irrigation and Drainage in Ukraine [1]. An analysis of the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On the Organization of Water Users and Stimulation of Hydrotechnical Land Reclamation"[2] regarding the provision of water users with water removal services for drainage by water user organizations and the payment of services by water users by the established water removal tariff was carried out. Emphasis is placed on the priority of the efforts in the field of hydraulic reclamation, namely proper operation and restoration of the country's drainage systems. The main point of the study is to realize the role of the status of water users who use water bodies to meet the needs of agriculture. According to the current legislation of Ukraine, the methodology of tariff formation should be based on a single basis - both for water supply and water removal.
 It is necessary to take into account the requirements of EU regulations regarding the consideration of the activities specifics in the field of water policy. Information on the development of water user organizations in Ukraine is provided and the operation costs of reclamation infrastructure facilities on the country's drainage systems are analyzed. The practice of foreign countries regarding the application of tariffs for water removal is given and the factors of the natural environment that were taken into account when selecting the option/options of water management in agriculture on drained lands of the country are outlined. The vision of researchers regarding the method of establishing and applying tariffs is given and a thorough assessment of the reasoning of scientists is provided. The areas for further research in the field of tariff formation for drainage are indicated. The base of tariff formation and methodical approaches to the formation of tariffs for water removal in the drainage area in Ukraine are proposed. The normative legal acts of Ukraine, the UN, EU bodies, the World Bank, data from scientific studies on tariff formation in agriculture on drained lands for 1991-2023, and administrative data were used as the main sources of information for the article.