1 of 1 Satellite images show damage to a dam in Ukraine Photo: Maxar Technologies/Portal Satellite images show damage to a dam in Ukraine Photo: Maxar Technologies/Portal
A day after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, the extent of the catastrophe is becoming increasingly clear. According to the United Nations, thousands of people on both sides of the frontline will be affected by the severe consequences of the floods. The collapse of the dam is also a catastrophe for the environment and the local water supply.
“We assume that parts of wild nature will be destroyed forever,” Ukraine’s Environment Minister Ruslan Strilets told DW.
He called the dam breach “the biggest environmental crime since the first day of Russia’s invasion” of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to Strilets, large parts of a national park have been destroyed, as well as large parts of the Emerald Network, a European network of protected areas set up to protect endangered species and habitats across the continent.
His portfolio assumes that “perhaps 600 to 800 tons of lubricating oil was dumped in the water”.
Other unconfirmed Ukrainian government sources even mention that around 150 tons of oil has spilled into the Dnipro River so far and another 300 tons could still spill.
fauna and Flora
In addition, flora and fauna must also be affected. The oil is highly toxic to all aquatic and terrestrial life. Even small amounts are enough to contaminate soil and water. Exact damage data are not yet available.
“This is a barbaric act, true ecocide and a future humanitarian catastrophe. We foresaw this situation and unfortunately the worstcase scenario has materialised,” Strilets said, adding that around a million people would be left without water.
Shortly after the explosion, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal spoke about the risk of flooding in up to 80 cities. Scientists from the MagdeburgStendal University of Applied Sciences calculated in a first model that 60,000 people could be affected, a third of them at risk.
According to the governor of the Kherson region, Olexander Prokudin, there are 16,000 people in the risk zone. The European Union speaks of hundreds of thousands of civilians whose lives are at stake. There is no information yet on possible injuries.
“The direct consequences are similar to any other flood,” explains Nickolai Denisov of the Zoi Environmental Network, a Genevabased NGO.
However, what sets this disaster apart from other floods is the speed of the water.
“Natural areas don’t usually get that much water. Even more so at this rate. So that will cause direct damage.”
Denisov points out that the flooding of industrial areas will be the main problem.
“If the water then gets into the industrial area, you are usually not prepared for it. The pollution is carried out of the area. It is not the type of pollution associated with industrial effluents. So it’s an extra burden.” and that’s going to happen soon.
“Unprecedented impact on the environment”
Olena Kravchenko, director of the Ukrainian NGO Environment People Law, told the British newspaper Guardian that the dam collapse could have “unprecedented environmental consequences” in areas downstream of the Dnipro, the Dnipro estuary and the Black Sea coastal ecosystems. Agriculture can also be affected by chemical pollution and lack of running water.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) believes that while local wildlife populations will be harmed, many animals will return after the disaster.
However, the situation is even worse for pets, which are often not evacuated with people.
“We have already received information that neighboring animal shelters are being inundated with rescue requests. In New Kakhovka, in Russianoccupied territory, a small zoo was completely flooded. All animals died except swans,” said Natalia Gozak, IFAW director of wildlife rescue in Ukraine, in a statement Tuesday.
In addition to the dam collapse, the war has already caused severe environmental damage. In large parts of the country, soil and water are being polluted by war munitions and the destruction of industrial plants, with chemical products leaking out.
Disorganized local waste disposal is also a growing problem. Fires, shell damage and illegal logging have also destroyed significant parts of the forest in the conflict area.
Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of blowing up the dam. At an emergency ONO Security Council meeting, Ukraine’s ambassador said it was an “act of ecological and technological terrorism.”