Dam explosion sparks humanitarian crisis in war-torn Ukraine

07/06/2023 WNS NEWSDESK

A large dam and hydroelectric station in the Russian-controlled part of southern Ukraine was destroyed on Tuesday, causing a massive flood that threatened thousands of people and infrastructure. The Nova Kakhovka Dam, which spanned the Dnipro River in the city of Nova Kakhovka, collapsed after a series of explosions that both sides blamed on each other. Ukraine accused Russia of blowing up the dam in an act of terror and ecocide, while Russia accused Ukraine of sabotaging the dam to deprive Crimea of freshwater. The flood reached a critical level within hours and forced the evacuation of up to 100 settlements along the river, including parts of the city of Kherson. The disaster also posed a risk to the nearby Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.  the number of people affected by the flood is estimated to be around 38,000. Officials said about 22,000 people live in areas at risk of flooding in Russian-controlled areas on the eastern side of the river, while 16,000 live in the most critical zone in Ukrainian-held territory on the western side. Some 17,000 people have been evacuated from settlements that lay in the path of the flooding. The UN aid chief warned of “grave and far-reaching consequences” for the humanitarian situation.

The Nova Kakhovka Dam was a large soviet-era dam and hydroelectric power plant that spanned the Dnipro River in the city of Nova Kakhovka. It was 30 meters (98 feet) tall and 3.2 km (2 miles) long, and was built in 1956 as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant¹. It supplied water to large swaths of southeastern Ukraine, as well as the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. The dam’s reservoir also provided water used for the essential cooling of the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the largest such facility in Europe.

The destruction of the dam has caused a massive flood that threatened thousands of people and infrastructure. The flood reached a critical level within hours and forced the evacuation of up to 100 settlements along the river, including parts of the city of Kherson. The disaster also posed a risk to the nearby ZNPP, which could face a shortage of cooling water. The flood also caused an environmental catastrophe, as hundreds of tons of oil from the dam leaked into the Dnipro River, contaminating the water and affecting the wildlife and ecosystem.

The collapse of the dam has affected thousands of people who live in the surrounding areas, as well as wildlife and farmland. More than 1,400 people have been evacuated from their homes and many more are at risk of being flooded. The city of Kherson, which is about 80 kilometers downstream from the dam, has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to seek higher ground.

The environmental impact of the collapse is expected to be severe and long-lasting. According to Ukrainian officials, at least 150 tons of oil from the hydropower plant have leaked into the Dnipro river, contaminating the water and posing a threat to aquatic life. The river also supplies drinking water to millions of people in Ukraine and neighboring countries. The flooding has also destroyed crops and infrastructure, and endangered rare species of animals that live in the region. The Ukrainian Environment Minister Ruslan Strilets said that the environmental damage had been estimated at 50 million euros ($53.8 million) and that it would take weeks to assess the full extent of the catastrophe.