HIA-delivered electric generators provide power to Kherson’s critical infrastructure
The 46 power generators were donated by the Government of Hungary and were handed over to Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) by Hungarian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar in the presence of HIA President-Director László Lehel, and Ukrainian state officials. HIA has made good on its promise and delivered the much-needed engines that left Chop on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border on 8 December to Kherson earlier this week. These will provide electricity to health facilities, the local water company and residential homes of the city cut off from electricity, running water and heating networks, thus facilitating the resumption of normal life.
The humanitarian situation in the port city on the frontline once home to 300,000 people remains critical. Utility services are only partially restored and locals still need to rely on the food supplies provided by humanitarian aid consignments. The lack of electricity is one of the major challenges that residents face, since it is needed for almost every part of modern life: charging electronic devices, telecommunications, household work, public services and, in many cases, also heating.
Several high-powered generators from the aid shipment were also delivered to the municipal waterworks. These generators will be used to start pumps and pumps essential for the water supply, while the aggregators donated to the local hospital will ensure the operational safety of the health facility.
Several of the high-performance generators were handed over to the municipal water company, where they will be used to start the pumps necessary to provide tap water to the people living in and around Kherson. The engines donated to the local hospital aim to ensure the operational safety of the health facility.
The staff of HIA met with the heads of beneficiary institutions, assessing the possibilities for further assistance. During their meeting, leaders expressed their gratitude to Hungarian Interchurch Aid, stressing that so far HIA was the only international humanitarian organisation making good on its promise to deliver life-saving aid and equipment needed to support critical infrastructure in Kherson. Barnabás Szatmári, head of the Kyiv office of HIA confirmed that this aid consignment is only one part of the large-scale aid programme aimed at providing humanitarian help to the city on the frontline.
Some of the generators were also delivered to residential buildings on a “courtyard” basis for shared use, to alleviate daily hardships of Kherson residents at a community level. Most of the Khersonians have typically waited hours in freezing temperatures just to charge their devices at centrally designed “charging points”.
Eleven of the 46 generators were delivered to the settlement of Tyahinka located 40 kilometers upstream from Kherson, which has been isolated from the outside world due to combat for a long time. Here the engines will provide electricity to households for the first time in months, while also enabling the restarting of water pumps so that water may reach the homes of locals.
This consignment was not the first to delivered to Kherson by HIA. On 29 November it had already supplied the city with 30 tonnes of food and hygiene products, providing life-saving support to the residents in need.
Hungarian Interchurch Aid was among the first international aid organisations to help refugees and people in need both in Ukraine and Hungary. HIA has been present in Ukraine for 25 years – since war broke out, it has helped over 200 thousand people in 19 regions of Ukraine, delivering more than 1,300 tonnes of aid to the war-torn country.
