Ukraine - Humanitarian Impact and Response Flash Update #4: Destruction of Kakhovka Dam (9 Jun 2023) [EN/UK]

HIGHLIGHTS

• Four days since the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, in southern Ukraine, flooding has started to recede, although the disaster is still causing displacement and rising humanitarian needs.

• In areas of Khersonska oblast under Ukrainian control, 320 people have been displaced over the past 24 hours, increasing the total number of people who had to leave their homes to more than 2,500, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

• Across the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Khersonska oblast, nearly 40 villages and towns have been severely affected by the flood, with more than 3,620 houses recorded as damaged to date.

• Russian-installed authorities informed today that the number of flooded houses in areas of Khersonska oblast under Russian military control increased to over 22,000, with grave humanitarian consequences for thousands of people.

• The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, led an inter-agency humanitarian convoy today with additional supplies to Bilozerka town, in one of the hromadas of the Ukraine-controlled part of Khersonska oblast worst-affected by the Kakhovka disaster-induced flooding.

• Across all affected areas, humanitarians continued their efforts in scaling up humanitarian assistance, reaching over 30,000 people with critical aid, particularly food and water.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

Four days since the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, in southern Ukraine, flooding has started to recede, with water levels reportedly dropping by some 20 cm to about 5.38 metres in Khersonska oblast, according to the Ukrainian authorities.

Despite this, the disaster is still causing displacement while many civilians have reportedly been stranded in flooded areas for more than 72 hours, mostly in areas under Russian-control, according to media reports and civil society organizations.

In areas of Khersonska oblast under Ukrainian control, 320 people have been displaced over the past 24 hours, increasing the total number of people who had to flee their homes to more than 2,500, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). More than 61 per cent of those displaced from flood-affected areas have remained within Khersonska oblast, mostly in Kherson city, according to IOM. The numbers are expected to rise further, as the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), with the support of national partners, including the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, continues to evacuate people and domestic animals. At the same time, according to the partners on the ground, many residents, especially those living on higher floors of multi-storey buildings, are unwilling to leave their homes while waiting for the water to recede.

Across the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Khersonska oblast, nearly 40 villages and towns have been severely affected by the flood, with more than 3,620 houses recorded as damaged to date, according to IOM. Thousands of civilians living in these communities are dependent on the delivery of water, food and hygiene items as critical infrastructure has been damaged and markets disrupted. Although apparently less intense than before 6 June, shelling continued over the past days, impacting civilians and aid workers, according to security reports.

The scale of the flooding-induced damage is also reportedly growing in the Khersonska oblast areas under the Russian Federation's military control. Russian-installed authorities informed today that the number of flooded houses in this part of the country increased to over 22,000, and at least 8 people reportedly died in the flooding. Anecdotal and uncorroborated reports from local volunteers and authorities indicate that the situation appears to be critical in Oleshky town, where houses remain flooded up to the roof. Furthermore, there were unverified reports that a school in Oleshky serving as a shelter for displaced people allegedly came under shelling. The UN has no means to verify this information due to a lack of access.

In the neighbouring Mykolaivska oblast, where at least two hromadas have been affected by the flooding caused by the rising of the Inhulets River, no further increase in the water level was recorded for the first time since the disaster, according to the authorities. Access to water, however, remains extremely limited in this area, affecting over 17,000 people.