Erwan Rivault, Mark Poynting & Rob England - BBC Verify
Thu, June 22, 2023
A view shows bank of Kakhovka Reservoir with Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant on an opposite bank after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Nikopol, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine June 9
One of Europe's largest reservoirs is drying up after the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine.
Satellite images, analysed by BBC Verify, show four canal networks have become disconnected from the reservoir.
The UN says drinking water supplies could be affected for more than 700,000 people, mostly in Russian-occupied areas.
Experts say the loss of water from the canals would be critical for food production in the region.
The Kakhovka Dam was destroyed in the early hours of 6 June, causing widespread flooding which hit settlements and farmland across the region.
Since the dam collapsed, satellite images show water levels in both the reservoir and the canals it feeds have continued to drop.
As well as the canals being a source of drinking water to large parts of southern Ukraine, they also provided irrigation for vast areas of farmland. The dam acted as a flood defence to places downstream, mainly to the south and south-west.
A satellite map showing the vast network of canals in southern Ukraine, including Crimea
BBC Verify monitored the four canal entrances using satellite imagery, and by 15 June, all had become disconnected as the reservoir water level kept dropping.
Further images reveal the reservoir, which previously held 18 cubic kilometres of water, had dried up significantly.
Two images of Kakhovka reservoir, one at 5th June when reservoir was full and another on 20th June when reservoir water levels have dropped significantly
Shallower parts of the reservoir were exposed first, revealing some of the original shape of the Dnipro River prior to the dam's construction in 1956.
Images show the canals still contain water further away from the reservoir. It is unclear how long it will take for them to run dry.
Before the war, about 5,840 sq km (584,000 hectares) of cropland on both sides of the Dnipro river could potentially be serviced by the canals, with more than half the area reliant on irrigation systems.
These areas yielded about two million tonnes of grain and oil seeds in 2021, according to the Ukrainian government.
Many areas downstream of the reservoir were initially flooded after the dam was destroyed, but the long-term issue facing food production will be the loss of water supply due to extensive canal systems drying up, according to Inbal Becker-Reshef, program director at NASA Harvest, a consortium researching global food security.
"[The canals] primarily irrigate summer planted crops… like corn, soy beans, some sunflower. But they also irrigate some wheat, which is a winter crop, and then a lot of vegetables and fruit like melons," she said.
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While some crops can be fed by rain alone, a dry canal system can leave farmland vulnerable to drought. This also has consequences for drinking water.
Dr Becker-Reshef said canals can start to fill in with silt if left dry, reducing their effectiveness, and the longer they are left in this condition, the worse they will become.
Martin Griffiths, Emergency Relief Coordinator for the UN, previously told the BBC there would be a "huge impact on global food security" as a result of the destruction of the dam, describing the area as "a breadbasket not only for Ukraine but also for the world".
Ukraine is a major exporter of sunflower, maize, wheat and barley. The war has caused global supply issues, particularly threatened in Middle Eastern and African countries, which rely heavily on Ukrainian grain.
Is there a solution?
Rebuilding the dam seems to be one of the only long-term solutions to restore water security to the area.
"Now the water level has dropped, the water simply does not reach the [canal] systems. To raise it, we need to rebuild the dam," according to Mykola Solskyi, Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food.
Experts warn the area is at greater risk of both drought and flooding, because the dam helped regulate extreme highs and lows in water levels.
"There's now a whole downstream catchment of the river that is not controlled," said Jaap Flikweert, a flood and coastal management advisor at engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV. "In the wetter periods flood waves will just come through."
Unless the dam is repaired, or extensive flood defences put in place, Mr Flikweert said some areas may prove unsuitable for settlement because they lie so close to river level.
"I expect those tens of thousands of people who were evacuated will have to stay away for a while as long as those solutions are not in place. It is difficult to see people coming back to those communities in this situation."
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Mines dislodged by Ukraine dam collapse could wash up on beaches - UN official
Reuters
Wed, June 21, 2023
GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations official said on Wednesday that the mines dislodged by the flood waters from Kakhovka dam in Ukraine could float downstream and reach as far as Black Sea beaches.
Paul Heslop, head of U.N. Mine Action at the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine, told reporters in Geneva that PMF-1 mines, also known as "butterfly" mines, were light enough to float downstream for a large distance.
"I would not be surprised to see that those mines have either got down as far as the sea or over the coming months, as the water is continuing to flow, will be transported down there," he said.
"Unfortunately, we could see anti-personnel pressure mines washing up on beaches around the Black Sea."
Henslop said anti-tank mines, which are heavier than anti-personnel mines, were less likely to float long distances.
The collapse of the Russian-held dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across southern Ukraine and Russian-occupied areas of the Kherson region, killing more than 50 people and destroying homes and farmland.
Ukraine's environment minister said on Tuesday that the dam's collapse had caused 1.2 billion euros in damage.
Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, which has been under Russian control since the early days of its invasion. The Kremlin has accused Kyiv of sabotaging the hydroelectric facility.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Emma Rumney)
Reuters
Wed, June 21, 2023
GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations official said on Wednesday that the mines dislodged by the flood waters from Kakhovka dam in Ukraine could float downstream and reach as far as Black Sea beaches.
Paul Heslop, head of U.N. Mine Action at the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine, told reporters in Geneva that PMF-1 mines, also known as "butterfly" mines, were light enough to float downstream for a large distance.
"I would not be surprised to see that those mines have either got down as far as the sea or over the coming months, as the water is continuing to flow, will be transported down there," he said.
"Unfortunately, we could see anti-personnel pressure mines washing up on beaches around the Black Sea."
Henslop said anti-tank mines, which are heavier than anti-personnel mines, were less likely to float long distances.
The collapse of the Russian-held dam on June 6 unleashed floodwaters across southern Ukraine and Russian-occupied areas of the Kherson region, killing more than 50 people and destroying homes and farmland.
Ukraine's environment minister said on Tuesday that the dam's collapse had caused 1.2 billion euros in damage.
Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the Soviet-era dam, which has been under Russian control since the early days of its invasion. The Kremlin has accused Kyiv of sabotaging the hydroelectric facility.
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Emma Rumney)
Black Sea dolphins threatened with extinction due to Russian ecocide
Andriy Yermak
The New Voice of Ukraine
Tue, June 20, 2023
Flooded as a result of Russians undermining Kakhovka HPP Kherson
About 150 dolphin carcasses were found on Black Sea coasts in Turkey and Bulgaria following the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Dam and the species may be threatened with extinction, presidential chief-of-staff Andriy Yermak said on June 20.
The bodies of other animals, including roe deer, foxes, and hares, may also be carried by the Black Sea current. Over 20,000 species resided in the southern areas of Ukraine, where more than 50,000 hectares of forests have been flooded. At least half of these forests will not survive.
Read also: Animal genocide – animals have ‘no chance of survival’ as 55,000 hectares of forest flooded in Kherson Oblast
Additionally, Yermak stated that approximately 150 tons of grease or oil stains are flowing down the Dnipro River and could potentially reach the Mediterranean Sea.
The surface of the Nova Kakhovka Reservoir itself is covered with dead fish, amounting to approximately 95,000 tons of biomatter.
Read also: Border guard video shows Odesa Oblast sea transformed into ‘dumpsite and graveyard for animals’
On the night of Tuesday, June 6, Russian troops detonated the Kakhovka Dam, which had been under occupation for over a year. Cities and villages downstream of the dam on the Dnipro River were completely or partially flooded.
Ukrainian hydropower operator Ukrhydroenergo reported that the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was completely destroyed and is beyond repair. Ukraine's Southern Command clarified that although the entire dam was not destroyed, significant damage occurred.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has initiated an investigation into the incident, charging it as ecocide.
Read also: Zelenskyy criticizes international community for timidity after Kakhovka Dam explosion
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Russia's attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant as the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Andriy Yermak
The New Voice of Ukraine
Tue, June 20, 2023
Flooded as a result of Russians undermining Kakhovka HPP Kherson
About 150 dolphin carcasses were found on Black Sea coasts in Turkey and Bulgaria following the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Dam and the species may be threatened with extinction, presidential chief-of-staff Andriy Yermak said on June 20.
The bodies of other animals, including roe deer, foxes, and hares, may also be carried by the Black Sea current. Over 20,000 species resided in the southern areas of Ukraine, where more than 50,000 hectares of forests have been flooded. At least half of these forests will not survive.
Read also: Animal genocide – animals have ‘no chance of survival’ as 55,000 hectares of forest flooded in Kherson Oblast
Additionally, Yermak stated that approximately 150 tons of grease or oil stains are flowing down the Dnipro River and could potentially reach the Mediterranean Sea.
The surface of the Nova Kakhovka Reservoir itself is covered with dead fish, amounting to approximately 95,000 tons of biomatter.
Read also: Border guard video shows Odesa Oblast sea transformed into ‘dumpsite and graveyard for animals’
On the night of Tuesday, June 6, Russian troops detonated the Kakhovka Dam, which had been under occupation for over a year. Cities and villages downstream of the dam on the Dnipro River were completely or partially flooded.
Ukrainian hydropower operator Ukrhydroenergo reported that the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was completely destroyed and is beyond repair. Ukraine's Southern Command clarified that although the entire dam was not destroyed, significant damage occurred.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has initiated an investigation into the incident, charging it as ecocide.
Read also: Zelenskyy criticizes international community for timidity after Kakhovka Dam explosion
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Russia's attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant as the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
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