People continue to wade through flooded streets on foot or in boats with their children, pets and belongings as authorities, volunteers and rescue teams redouble their efforts. The failure of the crucial Kakhovka Dam, located on the front line and controlled by Russia in Kherson, southern Ukraine, on Tuesday caused water levels to rise and massive flooding of towns along the Dnieper, prompting the emergency evacuation of thousands of residents. from the affected areas. Another heavy blow to a country already suffering from Russian invasion.
The United Nations has called the collapse of the Kakhovka structure, which supplies water to agricultural lands in the south and the Moscow-occupied Crimea peninsula, as well as the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, a “monumental humanitarian, economic and environmental disaster” in Europe. . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called it an “environmental bomb of mass destruction”.
Several areas are already partially or completely under water. According to the data of Kyiv, a total of 29 were flooded, 19 of them in the territory controlled by Ukraine, and ten are in the hands of the Russians. Flooding may affect up to 80 towns and cities, which is still ongoing. tion on effects is difficult to obtain. The extent of the disaster will be known in the coming days. The UN says it is likely to have “severe consequences” for hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the front line in southern Ukraine.
Black-and-white satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies show part of the flood along the Dnieper River between New Kakhovka and Dnipro Bay, southwest of Kherson. They show submerged homes and buildings and how the water has swallowed up land and infrastructure such as ship docks. The company’s satellite collected more than 2,500 square kilometers of images at 2:33 p.m. Tuesday.
Satellite images show the new Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station before (June 5) and after (June 6), when few structures remain. You can also see port facilities and a flooded industrial zone in Kherson.
They also show before and after extensive flooding in various towns such as Krink and Korsunka on the Russian-occupied east coast.
According to the latest data from Ukraine, about 1,900 people from the Kherson region have been evacuated from the areas most affected by the floods. They are transported to other cities by buses and trains. The Russian media is currently talking about 1,500 evacuees on the left bank occupied by Russia.
Ukraine reports that Russian forces continue to shell the west bank during the evacuation, and reports that Moscow troops have been withdrawn from 5 to 15 kilometers from the Dnieper River.
Kiev noted that the disaster had left “hundreds of thousands of people without normal access to drinking water”. Flooding affects mainly agricultural land, disrupting activities at the height of the season and having long-term consequences. Ukrainian authorities expect at least 10,000 hectares of agricultural land on the west bank (and even more on the opposite bank controlled by Russia) to be flooded, cutting off water supplies to dozens of irrigation systems in neighboring Ukrainian regions, like Kherson.
“The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station will lead to the fact that next year the fields of the south of Ukraine may turn into deserts,” said the statement of the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine. It is also believed to have negative consequences for fauna and thousands of animals are trapped by the floods. The administration of the President of Ukraine released a video showing a lot of dead fish.
Kiev said on Tuesday that at least 150 tons of engine oil had spilled into the Dnieper and there was a risk that more than 300 tons of spillage would continue. According to the UN, the flooding could lead to the movement of landmines and explosive devices into areas previously assessed as safe, endangering thousands of people in an area already affected by explosives.
It is not yet known what caused the dam to collapse, but Ukraine accuses Russia of intentionally detonating it with explosives from inside. Moscow says it is Kiev’s responsibility.
Engineering and ammunition experts were consulted New York Times They explain that a deliberate explosion from the inside probably caused its collapse, while they believe that structural failure or an attack from the outside are possible but less plausible explanations.
“One thing is clear: this is another devastating result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Geneva Conventions Governing International Humanitarian Law, to prohibit Clearly attack the dams in the war as they pose a threat to civilians.
Source: El Diario
