Weekly Update #67
June 12

Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam

The impact of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam – which exploded during the early morning of 6 June – continued to worsen today, forcing more people from their homes and hampering access to water and other essential services, according to humanitarians on the ground. Although water levels are increasing slower, it is still causing flooding of more villages and towns in Khersonska oblast, according to Ukrainian authorities and aid workers. In total, about 80 villages and towns in Khersonska oblast have reportedly been flooded, causing damages and destruction to homes and other civilian infrastructure, according to the Ukrainian Government. The situation could further deteriorate in the next hours as water levels are expected to continue to increase before cresting, and the number of people impacted could rise from 17,000 yesterday to nearly 40,000 people. The flooding is expected to last around a week, according to different forecasts, with serious humanitarian consequences that will last long after the water recedes.

An estimated 1,300 people living in areas under Ukrainian control had no option but to leave their flooded homes immediately according to the International Organization for Migration. The Government of Ukraine reported that the number of those evacuating has increased to almost 2,000 on the first day after the flooding. Humanitarians working to support them were told that most decided to stay close to their homes, in Kherson city, and a few dozen left towards Mykolaiv or Odesa. There are also media reports about flooding affecting people in areas under Russian control, although the UN has not had access to these areas to confirm the extent of the impact in this part of the country.

Access to drinking water is one of the main concerns, as the levels of Kakhovka Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to over 700,000 people in southern Ukraine, continued to drop rapidly. In addition, flooding can also lead to contamination of water sources, increasing health risks.The only pumping station providing potable water to the city of Mykolaiv, located in the Khersonska oblast, was already flooded, leaving water from other sources contaminated by metals and silt, according to the city authorities. Mykolaiv has had serious problems with the water supply since the escalation of the war in February 2022, as the pumping station has been repeatedly hit due to the hostilities.

The destruction of the dam is not only having an immediate impact on access to food for thousands but will likely impact long-term food production and food security. As thousands of hectares of agricultural land have been flooded, and will probably cause the loss of recently planted crops, according to FAO. The authorities also reported that the destruction of the dam decimated irrigation systems in Dnipropetrovska, Khersonska and Zaporizka oblasts, which hampers agriculture in an area heavily dependent on crop production both for self-consumption and exports.

In addition, rapid analysis from the NGO REACH identified over 60 hazardous industrial facilities in areas potentially affected by flooding resulting from the destruction of the dam. Out of these, 20 are in the area of heightened flood risk. This adds to the concerns imposed by the possible movement of mines and other explosive ordnance caused by the flood water, which puts thousands of civilians at risk.

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 consisting 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 the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The destruction of the Dam may also negatively affect electricity generation.

Sources: OCHA Flash Update 2, Flash Update 1

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In areas of Khersonska oblast under Ukrainian control, at least 2,200 people have been forced from their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), although the actual number of displaced people could be much higher as many people have stayed close to their homes, in higher parts of their villages and towns, and did not join the evacuations provided by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society. Electricity, water and gas supplies were partially interrupted in Kherson city and at least a dozen other locations, according to the authorities and partners on the ground. Damage to sewage systems and a lack of clean water are feared to risk the spread of waterborne diseases. Attacks today on Kherson city, which reportedly injured several civilians, including two emergency rescuers and a health worker, according to the Governor, add to the challenges civilians and those providing assistance face. 

In areas of Khersonska oblast under the military control of the Russian Federation, at least 5 people were reportedly killed, and over 40 were injured due to the flooding, according to Russian-installed authorities. There have been uncorroborated reports shared by media and civil society organizations about people stranded in the worst-affected parts of the Russian-controlled areas, including Hola Prystan and Oleshky towns, without adequate assistance, due to a lack of access for aid workers and volunteer groups. Russian-installed authorities informed that at least 4,000 people had been evacuated while the Ukrainian Government has called upon international organizations, including the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to assist the affected people in these areas. The UN currently has no access to areas under Russian control in Khersonska oblast.

In the neighbouring Mykolaivska oblast, water levels have steadily increased in the Inhulets River, flooding a waterpumping station and several towns of Horokhivska and Snihurivska hromadas, reportedly leaving nearly 300 houses flooded and forcing around 500 people from their homes, according to the regional government. This, and the destruction of the dam itself, has already impacted water access to over 17,000 people.

Heavy rains and thunderstorms, which started June 10, 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.

Flooding 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. In addition, in the late hours of the afternoon of 11 June, a boat with civilians trying to cross the river from the Russian-controlled to Ukrainian-controlled areas of Khersonska oblast has reportedly come under shelling, leaving three civilians killed and an unconfirmed number of others injured, according to preliminary information shared by Ukrainian authorities.

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.

May 15                    -                                 June 7

Emergency workers evacuate residents on a boat from a flooded neighborhood in Kherson. (Photograph: LIBKOS/AP)

Cash assistance has been increased, and around 5,000 people have already received this kind of assistance in the last 48 hours, and more are being registered for support.   The Cash Working Group partners, primarily UNICEF, Danish Refugee Council and Estonian Refugee Council, in collaboration with at least 13 other partners, have reached nearly 5,000 people with multi-purpose cash assistance as of 11 June, disbursing an estimated US$538,000 to people directly affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. This includes 4,027 people in Khersonska oblast, of whom 400 people are in the areas under the military control of the Russian Federation and 118 in Mykolaivska oblast.

UNHCR and partners registered nearly 3,500 affected people in Khersonska oblast, while Women’s Consortium Ukraine is providing cash assistance to another 1,000 people in Kherson. ACTED started registration at the bus and railway stations in Mykolaiv and Odesa, targeting 4,000 people. CORE is providing nearly 1,000 evacuees with voucher cash assistance in Mykolaiv and Odesa.

On the Health response, in addition to the distribution of medicines and medical supplies, WHO launched, in collaboration with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and the Ukrainian Primary Health Care System, public health awareness campaigns to prevent disease outbreaks. The agency developed Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) materials and started the distribution of 260,000 leaflets focused on awareness of acute intestinal infections such as cholera, botulism, water treatment, and food safety. Over ten humanitarian organizations are providing health assistance, primarily in Khersonska oblast, including through the delivery of medicines and medical supplies for eight hospitals in Khersonska oblast, in addition to the provision of services through at least three medical mobile teams.

Protection services, including counselling, activities for children, and legal services, are being provided by around 30humanitarian partners, focusing on train and bus stops and collective centres. Additionally, five NGOs conduct specific protection services in Khersonska oblast to support women with children, older people and people with disabilities.  Specialists of the UNFPA’s Survivor Relief Centre and the Ukraine Red Cross Society are helping with evacuations, psychosocial assistance and first-line information referral. As of 8 June, the Ukrainian Red Cross supported the StateEmergency Service of Ukraine with the evacuation of 140 disabled and older people from the areas affected by the flooding to safer places. UNICEF’s pop-up Spilno Child Spots have been established at transit locations in Kherson, Mykolaiv andOdesa train stations to provide children with psychosocial support. UNICEF multi-disciplinary teams, consisting of medical professionals and psychologists, are established at transit points, such as bus and train stations, to support people on themove.

IOM is providing shelter services for the evacuees in the collective centres in Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia and other nearby locations and, together with their partners, deployed teams to provide protection services – including counselling, legal services, activities for children – in Dnipro, Odesa, Kherson, and Mykolaiv.

At least five Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster partners have already distributed much-needed household items, including jerrycans, solar lamps, bedding and other items for around 1,800 people, in addition to the support to prepare centres for displaced people. Humanitarian organizations have already prepositioned kits of household items for about 3,000 people in the neighbouring oblasts – Mykolaivska, Odeska and Khmelnytska oblasts. UNHCR, for example, provided 600 metal beds, 1,200 mattresses, blankets, bedding sets and pillows to support people arriving in Mykolaivska oblast. Additionally, UNHCR delivered about 8,500 jerrycans to different parts of southern Ukraine, most in Khersonska oblast but in Dnipropetrovska oblast and prepositioned another 80,000 items amongst shelter kits, bedding and jerrycans.

Humanitarian organizations are also stepping up efforts to support the prevention of mine and other explosive accidents. The Danish Refugee Council has been providing mine awareness material at the Mykolaiv train station since 7 June. UNDP is also working on distributing explosive ordnance risk education (EORE) materials, broadcasting messages, and producing a ‘minefield map’ of the flood-induced mine contamination of the area. UNICEF, in cooperation with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, rolled out a behaviour change communication programme concerning the risks of floating mines and safe conduct around mines,

The Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, Denise Brown, led an inter-agency humanitarian convoy on June 8 with additional supplies to Bilozerka town, located 1.5 kilometres from the front line, in one of the hromadas of the Ukraine-controlled part of Khersonska oblast worst affected by the Kakhovka disaster-induced flooding. The five-truck convoy delivered ready-to-eat food for 2,500 people; over 3,200 six-litre water bottles, a 20,000-litre water truck, and three 5,000-litre water bladders which will allow the community to store water. Organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the convoy had supplies provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO), to support the nearly 6,000 remaining residents. 

Water contamination is adding to the challenges, mainly in Khersonska oblast, where the authorities reportedly recorded contamination of water above permissible parameters due to the flooding of wastewater systems and cemeteries and from debris washed into the Dnipro River. The situation prompted the Government to introduce a ban on taking water, fishing and selling fish as well as swimming in the water bodies in the flood-affected communities to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.

Sources: UNOCHA Flash Update 4, Flash Update 5

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Potential Long-Term Impact of the Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam: UNCT Joint Analytical Note

The destruction of the dam, beyond these immediate humanitarian needs, will have a significant impact in the longer term on a much larger geographical area and population. It will have severe, long-term impacts on Ukraine's environment, economy and society, including possible displacement and migration of population, and is likely to cast a dark shadow over the country for decades to come.  

The UN Country Team has drafted a Joint Analytical Note that identifies the long-term effects of the destruction on different economic, social, and financial levels.

Key points of these impacts include the following:

Health, water and sanitation

The destruction of the dam has disrupted or contaminated the water supply in all the affected regions. The interruption in water flow has affected not only households but also municipal networks and agricultural irrigation systems in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea.  The flooding poses long-term health risks, contamination with biological wastewater and dead wildlife.  All these create a heightened risk to diseases, will result in closure of health facilities, thus causing disruption in essential health services.

Chemical hazards 

The breach of the dam has resulted in the release of approximately 150 tons of oil products from the hydro power plant, which may spread downstream all the way to the Black Sea.  There are approximately 64 infrastructure and industrial facilities identified as being in areas at risk of flooding, with 20 of them in high flood risk areas.  The port area in Kherson city, which served as a significant storage site for fertilizers and chemical cargo, could become a pollution hotspot, not only in its immediate vicinity but also downstream into the Black Sea. The flooded area also encompasses various manufacturing plants that could discharge chemicals into the floodwaters, further exacerbating pollution and health risks.

Agriculture, fishery, and forestry

Initial satellite imagery suggests that many thousands of hectares of agricultural land on both sides of the Dnipro River have been affected. If the flooding persists, it could lead to crop losses without sufficient time for replanting during this season. The reduced water levels in the Kakhovka Reservoir will likely have an impact on crop production in Kherson region and other areas surrounding the reservoir in southern Ukraine. Additionally, the reservoir and the upstream Dnipro River served as vital fishery resources for the region. Rapid drainage may cause significant damage to these resources, potentially disrupting spawning grounds in the long term.

Environment 

The dam destruction has devastating effects on the ecosystems of the Kakhovka reservoir and the lower Dnipro River. Repercussions will extend to the flora and fauna of the Black Sea. An estimated 80,000 hectares of protected areas, including the Lower Dnipro natural reserve. The breeding grounds for protected bird species and the spawning areas for fish, particularly within the Kakhovka reservoir, will be significantly impacted, resulting in substantial casualties, especially among fish populations.

Community Infrastructure, Debris Removal and Mine Contamination 

The floodwaters are set to impact over 80 communities, causing irreparable damage to their critical and social infrastructure. These areas will require complete reconstruction before the population can return to their homes. Over 120 educational institutions are at risk due to the flooding. The proximity of these communities to the frontline and ongoing hostilities will pose significant challenges to debris removal and infrastructure reconstruction efforts.

Energy 

The breach of the dam has resulted in the loss of the Kakhovka hydro power plant (HPP), a crucial source of clean energy for southern Ukraine. The reconstruction of the HPP is estimated to cost more than 1 billion USD. The destruction of the Kakhovska HPP in the long term diminishes the automatic frequency restoration reserves within Ukraine's power system, making system balancing more challenging and costly. Furthermore, the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) relies on water from a reservoir directly connected to the Kakhovska HPP's reservoir. The potential loss of the primary cooling water source further exacerbates the already challenging nuclear safety and security situation.

Housing 

The extensive flooding has inflicted severe damage to residential properties, leading to both immediate and long-term housing challenges. The depth of the floodwater, averaging over 3 meters, is expected to cause significant harm to more than 2,500 homes. As of now, more than 200 houses have been confirmed as destroyed, but this number is likely to increase substantially once the water recedes and access to the affected areas can be secured. Given the circumstances of the evacuation, it is to be expected that many people have been left without documentation that may be crucial to access services, especially if displacement becomes extended.

Internal displacement and potential of out of country migration 

One of the immediate as well as medium term impacts of the destruction of the dam will be further displacement of the population from the affected areas which may eventually lead, at a later stage, to a more consolidated process of internal and possibly out of country migration. Initial assessment indicates that 2,200 people have been displaced from their place of habitual residence in flood-affected areas and 81 per cent of those remain currently within Kherson region. It is anticipated that climate displacement and migration may prompt up to 400,000 people to leave the southern regions of Ukraine in the coming years.

Culture 

Approximately fifteen museums, archaeological sites, and historical locations could be directly affected by the floodwaters.  Ancient settlements dating back to the 4th century are likely to be damaged.

Source: UN RC/HC Ukraine,  UNCT Ukraine

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Dam floods amplify Ukraine mine emergency

The HALO Trust, a humanitarian non-government organization, which primarily works to clear landmines and other explosive devices left behind by conflicts, is urging civilians in the areas flooded by the Nova Kakhovka dam to remain extra vigilant of landmines.  It confirmed it has been forced to suspend clearance work on seven minefields flooded by the collapse of the dam last Tuesday. The torrent of water that swept through the lower Dnipro River was powerful enough to dislodge landmines and in some cases cause 10kg anti-vehicle mines to detonate.

The HALO Trust has been surveying and clearing mines along the Inhulets River, a tributary of the Dnipro, since earlier this year. The mines were laid at the lowest points of the river to prevent troops from crossing in vehicles while the area was under occupation.

The organization stated its teams found around 5,000 mines in the last eight weeks around Mykolaiv, of which 464 were along the river bank.  They expect to find more along the fortified frontline that extends over 900 km.

It also emphasized that the reconstruction of Ukraine must focus on making the land safe from landmines.