Ukraine - Humanitarian Situation and Response Flash Update #1: Destruction of Kakhovka Dam (7 Jun 2023) [EN/UK]

HIGHLIGHTS

• The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Khersonska oblast has left at least 37 towns and villages partially flooded, which will likely have grave consequences for hundreds of thousands of people in southern Ukraine.

• The Ukrainian authorities have announced the evacuations of 16,000 people from these areas, and flooding can result in the movement of mines and explosive ordnance to the areas previously assessed as safe, putting thousands more people in danger in an area already impacted by explosives.

• Humanitarians have deployed multidisciplinary mobile teams to train and bus stations to assist people arriving from the affected areas.

• Emergency humanitarian response is underway to provide urgent assistance to over 16,000 people affected by flooding, including drinking water, cash assistance, legal and psychosocial support.

HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

The destruction today of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant Dam (hereinafter Kakhovka Dam) – which crosses the Dnipro River on the front line in Nova Kakhovka in Khersonska – has led to massive flooding, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee and impacting at least 37 towns and villages which have been reported fully or partially flooded, according to the Ukrainian authorities. The Government has announced that they are supporting the evacuation of at some16,000 people due to the loss or severe damage to their homes in the floods. They are being evacuated by buses and trains to Mykolaiv, the administrative centre of the neighbouring oblast, and further to Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Kropyvnytskyi, Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine. The flooding, which will likely impact around 80 settlements in the days ahead, gravely impacts access to basic services, including food and water, and will likely worsen an already fragile humanitarian situation, impacting hundreds of thousands of people on both sides of the front line.

Kakhovka Reservoir, which was formed by the Kakhovka Dam and stretches 240 kilometres through Zaporizka, Dnipropetrovska and Khersonska oblasts, is one of the largest water sources in the south of the country. It provides water supply, including drinking water, to major industrial cities, including Kryvyi Rih, Marhanets, Nikopol and Pokrov, home to nearly 700,000 people.

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam has also reportedly destroyed the irrigation system and the water supply across southern Ukraine, including Crimea, according to Ukrainian authorities. It impacted areas largely consist of agricultural lands, which has led to the disruption of agricultural activities in the midst of the season and will bear longer-term consequences.

Massive flooding at Kakhovka Dam can also increase risks of mine and explosive ordnance contamination. According to humanitarian partners, flooding and fast-moving water can cause the movement of mines and explosive ordnance to areas previously assessed as safe, thus putting people in danger. At least 30 per cent of Ukraine’s territory is mine-contaminated, according to the Ukrainian authorities, with Khersonska oblast being the most affected.

Additionally, any uncontrolled decrease in the water level of Kakhovka Reservoir may negatively affect the safety of theZaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The destruction of the Dam may also negatively affect electricity generation.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE

Humanitarian organizations have rapidly mobilized emergency humanitarian response to complement Government effortsand provide urgent assistance to over 16,000 people affected by flooding due to the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam inKhersonska oblast. Teams were immediately deployed multidisciplinary mobile teams to train and bus stations across areasunder Ukrainian control in Khersonska oblast, in Mykolaiv city and other areas to support civilians, including thousands ofchildren, evacuated by the authorities to neighbouring oblasts. Humanitarians are providing food, water, cash assistance,legal support and psychological assistance to people arriving from affected areas. Aid workers are also providingpsychosocial support and recreational activities for children at the Kherson train station. Assessments to determine theimpact as well as assistance in areas currently under the military control of the Russian Federation, however, have not beenpossible due to a lack of access for the UN and Ukrainian NGOs.

Aid organizations specialized in water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) assistance have already distributed nearly 12,000bottles of water, over 1,700 kits with essential supplies for children on the move, 10,000 purification tablets to 5municipalities in Khersonska oblast and the city of Mykolaiv. Shelter partners are supporting authorities in coordinating theaccommodation of people arriving from Khersonska oblast in transit centres, as well as delivering hygiene supplies andother basic items to Mykolaiv and Odesa for distribution to people who have been evacuated there.

Further assessments of the situation and emergency response are ongoing. WASH Cluster partners have started assessingsystems drawing directly from the reservoir and exploring alternative water sources such as boreholes and water truckingfor the water supply. These efforts are complementing the Government’s response of sending additional equipment likepower generators, mobile water filter equipment and transportation for water trucking to the site of the flooding, as well asdrinking water to all towns and villages that were supplied with water from the Kakhovka Reservoir.

For more information, please contact OCHA Ukraine:

Saviano Abreu, diabreuisidoro@un.org

Tanya Lyubimova tanya.lyubimova@un.org