Ukraine - Humanitarian Impact and Response Flash Update #5: Destruction of Kakhovka Dam (11 Jun 2023) [EN/UK]

HIGHLIGHTS

• Heavy rains and thunderstorms, which started today, will likely exacerbate the already grave impact of the destruction on the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June, making evacuations and humanitarian aid challenging.

• Across the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Khersonska oblast and in Mykolaivska oblast, evacuations, access to drinking water, food and hygiene items are the main pressing needs of thousands of families impacted by the disaster.

• The situation is particularly concerning in Dnipropetrovska oblast, where over 160,000 people are facing water shortages, according to the local authorities.

• The humanitarian response is assisting more people every hour, with the United Nations and its humanitarian partners delivering vital supplies – mainly water, hygiene items and food – enough to cover the needs of nearly 180,000 people, up from around 35,000 people reported on 9 June.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

Heavy rains and thunderstorms, which started today, will likely exacerbate the already grave impact of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June, making evacuations and humanitarian aid challenging. The downpours are expected to last for another couple of days, according to weather forecasts. At the same time, the floodwater continued to slowly recede today, with the average level reportedly at 4 metres, down from nearly 5.4 metres on 9 June, according to Ukrainian authorities. Nevertheless, 46 towns and villages remain flooded in Khersonska oblast, including 32 in the Ukraine-controlled right bank of the Dnipro River, 14 in the areas under Russian military control, and 31 in Mykolaivska oblast, according to the Ukrainian police. The disaster has left at least 6 people killed and 29 missing in areas under Ukrainian control, according to the Government, in addition to around 8 killed in areas under Russian military control, according to Russian-installed authorities.

Across the Ukrainian-controlled areas of Khersonska oblast and in Mykolaivska oblast, evacuations, access to drinking water, food and hygiene items are the main pressing needs of thousands of families impacted by the disaster. People continued to be forced from their homes due to flooding over the past 48 hours, with the number of displaced increasing to more than 2,700 people, including 190 children and nearly 80 people with limited mobility, according to the Ukrainian Government. Over 4,300 houses remain flooded in Khersonska (3,820) and Mykolaivska (540) oblasts, according to the oblast authorities. Over the last day, shelling and mortar fire were reported in the city of Kherson and some other locations across the oblast, with several civilians reportedly injured, according to the authorities.

More than a metre drop in the level of the Kakhovka Water Reservoir to 9.35 metres is impacting access to water for hundreds of thousands of people, according to the Ukrainian national operator of hydroelectric power plants, Ukrhydroenergo. The situation is particularly concerning in Dnipropetrovska oblast, where over 160,000 people are facing water shortages, according to the local authorities.