The Environmental Catastrophe of the Kakhovka Dam Destruction in Ukraine

Destruction of ecosystems, floods, pollution, threats to energy supplies… Experts and environmental organizations have warned that the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, In southern Ukraine, Tuesday could have unprecedented environmental and human consequences.

Kherson region governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on social media that floods caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam have submerged an area of ​​more than 600 square kilometers on the right bank of the Dnipro River which is controlled by the Ukrainians as well as on the left bank which is occupied by the Russians, a Ukrainian governor said Thursday..

“brutal ecocide” according to Kiev

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced what he called “the largest man-made ecological disaster in Europe in decades”, accusing Russia of “brutal ecocide”.

The term “ecocide”, as recently defined by the European Parliament, is every “environmental criminal offense that causes serious, widespread, permanent or irreversible damage to air, soil and water quality, to biodiversity, to ecosystem services and functions, to fauna or flora”.

The dam was holding 18 billion tons of water

The Ukrainian NGO “Eco Action” fears that the first consequences of the collapse of the 18 billion tons of water that the dam was holding will be a serious disruption of the ecosystems in the Dnipro River (the fourth longest river in Europe) all the way to the coastal areas on the shores of the Black Sea.

>> Read also: What are the repercussions of the Nova Kakhovka Dam bombing?

It also fears a possible mortality rate for aquatic organisms (fish, molluscs, shellfish, microorganisms and aquatic plants), which “will lead to a deterioration in water quality as a result of the decomposition of dead organisms.”

In turn, the Ukrainian group for nature conservation considered that the consequences for animals “will appear on an area of ​​​​not less than five thousand square kilometers (the area that may be flooded and the area from which it will withdraw)”.

And she believed that with regard to fish alone, she would appoint “at least seven to ten years to compensate” for the losses, and these areas would be devoid of nesting birds around the dam such as seagulls and others, warning that “all living creatures that inhabit the Kakhovka reservoir have died or will die in the coming days.” .

Eco Action indicated that the plants will not be immune from danger, especially in the areas above the dam, where “they will die due to the depletion of water, while the water will flood the areas below the dam, including the steppes and forests that are not prepared to be submerged, which will lead to saturation of their soil.” and destroy it.”

There is also a direct danger to a number of Ukrainian national reserves, most notably the Black Sea Reserve, which is classified on the UNESCO Global Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Heavy pollution? Also expected consequences are heavy pollution from the spread of waste, agricultural chemicals and other hazardous materials, and disruption of wastewater treatment and sewage systems.

What do we know about the Kakhovka Dam, which was bombed and partially destroyed?

The destruction of the dam, according to Ukrainian officials, caused more than 150 tons of motor oil to leak into the Dnipro River, “with the risk of an additional 300 tons leaking,” which poses a “danger to animals and plants.”

This pollution is expected to reach the Black Sea, which could threaten a wide range of organisms, from plankton to whales.

A major threat to the water supply of millions of people

Ukraine’s Attorney General Andriy Kostin announced that “more than 40,000 people may be in flooded areas”, announcing mass evacuations.

The Kakhovka Dam was also used to supply drinking and irrigation water to southern Ukraine, which is one of the driest regions in the country. Consequently, its destruction poses a major threat to the water supply of millions of people.

The dam’s water is used to cool fuel for the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant

face Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant Russia occupies new risks due to the destruction of the dam whose water is used to cool fuel and avoid a nuclear accident.

However, the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety reassured that “the cooling of the station is currently provided by water pumped from basins on the site, which were established for this purpose. There are no risks in the short term for the station.”

“The absence of cooling for the six reactors means that the station will not operate in the foreseeable future, which will cause a loss of about 13% of Ukraine’s electricity generation capacity,” said Malte Jansen of the Business School at the University of Sussex.

Damage will also affect agriculture and livestock breeding, which threatens a human catastrophe, as Ukraine is one of the largest exporters of grain in the world.

France 24/AFP