Ministry: Dnipro River returns to its banks after flooding caused by Kakhovka Dam explosion
The Dnipro River in Kherson has returned to its banks after the flooding caused by the June 6 Kakhovka Dam explosion, the Environment Ministry reported on June 25.
The water level decreased by 4 centimeters, resulting in a total drop of 5.35 meters since the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station by Russian forces, located about 60 km upstream from Kherson.
The shallowing of the water continues in the Great Meadow (Velykyi Luh) National Nature Park, which may result in a drought. The protected area consisting of 13 islands in the northeastern part of the Kakhovka Reservoir has been completely drained, the ministry said.
The water level has decreased by approximately 13 meters in the Kamianska Sich National Park, according to the report.
Anastasiia Lapatina
Russia's destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6 triggered one of the largest man-made environmental disasters in Ukraine's history. The southern Kherson Oblast has suffered catastrophic floods and a large-scale humanitarian crisis.
Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Ruslan Strilets, said on June 21 that the Kakhovka dam explosion and flooding has already caused more than $1.5 billion worth of damage to Ukraine.
Over a million people living in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's Nikopol and Kryvyi Rih districts could face water shortages as a result, Mykola Lukashuk, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk's regional council, said on June 14.
