Skip to content
Edit post

Ukrhydroenergo head: Kakhovka dam destruction cut off water supply to Crimea for 'at least a year'

by Kate Tsurkan June 13, 2023 2:48 AM 2 min read
The level of water in the Kakhovka reservoir continues to decrease after the Khakhovka dam was blown up by Russian forces, as seen from Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, on June 9, 2023. (Photo: Dmytro Smolienko /Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Become a member Support us just once

Four Ukrainian oblasts will have problems with water supply and water will not flow to Crimea from the Kakhovka reservoir for "at least a year" due to the Kakhovka dam's destruction, head of Ukrainian state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo Ihor Syrota told Radio Svoboda on June 12.  

"There is no water supply to Crimea because the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir is already much lower than what is needed to go along the Crimean Canal. Therefore, most likely, water will not flow to Crimea for at least a year," Syrota explained.

The North Crimean Canal, blocked by Ukraine following Russia's 2014 illegal annexation of Crimea and reopened last year when Russia invaded Ukraine and seized the canal, supplied around 85% of the peninsula's water before 2014.

The Kakhovka dam collapsed early on June 6, resulting in a mass-scale humanitarian and ecological disaster in Kherson Oblast and other parts of southern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities say the dam was blown up by Russian forces to prevent a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

The effects of the dam's destruction will likely be felt for years to come.

According to Syrota, the ongoing Russian occupation of Crimea complicates the possibility of supplying the peninsula with water by other possible means.

Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts will also have problems with water supply. Alternatives are being considered to circumvent the issue, especially regarding the supply of clean drinking water, Syrota added.

The Infrastructure Ministry said on June 7 that it had allocated Hr 1.5 billion ($40 million) to construct water pipelines and restore centralized water supply to areas impacted by the Kakhovka dam disaster.

Kakhovka dam destruction disrupts water, power supply but offers sustainable reset
In the early morning of June 6, Russia blew up a major dam in the occupied part of southern Ukraine, causing a humanitarian and ecological crisis. The Kakhovka dam, located on the Dnipro River, is a major waterway running through southeastern Ukraine and the last of a series of six

News Feed

11:14 PM

Romania denies downing Russian drones over Ukraine.

Videos on social media that purport to show Romanian air defense units shooting down Russian attack drones above Ukraine are spreading a false narrative, Romania's Defense Ministry said in a statement on July 26.
Ukraine Daily
News from Ukraine in your inbox
Ukraine news
Please, enter correct email address
3:38 PM

Russian ex-deputy defense minister arrested on corruption charges.

In his previous position, former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov was in charge of the military's logistics chains during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His dismissal was widely seen as a response to the logistic failures that accompanied the early months of Russia's all-out war.
11:31 AM

Сeasefire would leave 25% of Ukraine under Russian control, ambassador says.

"Many countries have proposed the idea of a ceasefire, but no one thinks about what it means. Some 25% of Ukrainian territory would remain under Russian control, which means buying time for Russia to strengthen its capabilities and resume its attacks on Ukraine," Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.