Ukraine region could be left without water

KIEV, Ukraine, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- The seizure of bank accounts belonging to a Ukraine water company may leave a densely populated area of that country dry, officials say.

The Donbass Water Co., which supplies Ukraine's heavily industrial Donetsk region, may have its accounts frozen after a court ruled in favor of an appeal from the local electric utility, Donetskoblenergo Co. More than 1.5 million people live in the region.

The utility said Donbass owed the equivalent of $36 million for its electricity consumption, the news agency ITAR-TASS reported Friday.

Anatoly Bliznyuk, the president of the Donetsk Regional Council, sent a letter to the Ukrainian president and prime minister urging government agencies to "resolve problems connected with ensuring the stable functioning of life-support systems of the region."

He warned of the possibility of "an ecological, economic and social collapse with catastrophic consequences."

Donbass, the region's sole supplier, takes its water from the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal. Having its bank accounts seized would bring Donbass operations to a standstill, ITAR-TASS said.