On June 6, the Nova Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine was partially destroyed by the Russian army. Since then, residents of the region have been expecting the worst and are concerned about the consequences for the operation of the nuclear power plant.
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Posted on 06/14/2023 5:48 PM
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Volodymyr and Valentina live less than five kilometers from the Zaporijia power plant. (OMAR OUAHMANE / RADIO FRANCE)
Since the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam a week ago, concerns have been growing around the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant, located upstream of the hydroelectric power station. Under Russian control, the power plant draws water from the river to cool the cores of its reactors, but the drop in the level of the Dnipro River is causing cold sweats for residents in the region.
>> War in Ukraine: In the Kherson region, residents are caught between the front and floods due to the destruction of the Kakhovka dam
Volodymyr and Valentina live in the region. Her house had direct access to the Dnipro from the garden. But since the destruction of the dam, the level of the river has dropped so much that these pensioners no longer live with their feet in the water, but in the mud. “The water came here, now there’s nothing left,” Volodymyr laments. The level of the river decreases every day. We were up to eight meters deep, look, there are only puddles left.
The Zaporijjia Nuclear Power Plant and the Dnipro Drylands, upstream of the Nova Kakhovka Dam. (OMAR OUAHMANE / RADIO FRANCE)
Directly opposite the house, barely five kilometers away, is the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant. Volodymyr, like many in the area, wonders if it will have enough water to cool the cores of its six reactors. Then the pensioner admits: “Of course we’re scared, because it’s the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Chernobyl next door is a toy. If it explodes, everyone will suffer.” The observation is all the more painful as he remembers the good times he spent in the waters of the Dnipro. “We swam here, we caught fish. And it’s over. Life is not possible without water. It is a disaster.”
His wife Valentina is at his side. Faced with this desolate landscape, her face betrays weariness and fear. “It’s a horror… The water’s gone, she’s breathing. Here it was paradise before and now it has become hell. What worries us is the power plant. Putin must withdraw his troops. This is the condition of living in peace.” And Valentina continues to wonder: “How many more people have to die?”
Also very worried, The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has requested access to the facility to independently assess the situation, including water levels.
The concern of the residents of the Zaporijjia power plant – the report by Omar Ouahmane and Jérémy Tuil
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