Increase in groundwater resources with support from the Government

The Government annually supports geological exploration of groundwater toward increasing the groundwater resources. The work includes exploration and appraisal of groundwater for drinking water supply and emergency water supply, abandonment of water wells in the unallocated subsoil fund and adjustment of the unallocated subsoil fund in conformity with the present-day legal requirements. Aiming to reduce water shortage in drinking water supply in water-stress regions under different climatic conditions with support from the Federal Project ‘Geology: Revival of the Legend’, groundwater exploration and appraisal were carried out at 14 objects. The results show an increase in groundwater resources by 53.4 Km3/day, which agrees with the planned volume. Another challenge is prevention of pollution and depletion of groundwater which is a source of drinking water supply, or has a particular value in sanatorium-and-resort therapy and aftercare (natural medicative resources), through abandonment of earlier drilled water wells from the unallocated subsoil fund. One of the relevant areas of geological exploration is currently assessment of current condition of groundwater resources in the unallocated subsoil fund in the areas of new federal subjects of Russia—the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions—and their adjustment in conformity with the active legislation of the Russian Federation. The results will be used to assess prospects of development of drinking groundwater resources and their economic use, as well as the natural medicative resources of mineral groundwater and peloids for sanatorium-andresort therapy.