According to TASS, in the early hours of June 7, floodwaters in the city of Nova Kakhovka, following the collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in Kherson province, southern Ukraine, were receding.
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| Residents of the town of Nova Kakhovka cycle along a flooded road after the Kakhovka Dam broke on the night of June 6 in Kherson, southern Ukraine. (Source: AP) |
In a statement on Telegram , local authorities said that water had begun to recede on previously flooded streets in the city.
The emergency response center in Nova Kakhovka reported that the water level had dropped by 35mm. Mayor Vladimir Leontyev confirmed this information, adding that more than 900 people had been evacuated from flooded areas on June 6th.
However, according to Leontyev, at least seven people are missing.
The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam on the Dnipro River in Kherson collapsed on June 6th. Russia claims Ukrainian forces shelled the dam, causing it to break. Kyiv, however, makes the opposite accusation, alleging that Russian soldiers blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam.
The Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, 30 meters high and 3.2 kilometers long, was built in 1956. With a reservoir capacity of up to 18 km³ , it is a vital water source for the Crimean Peninsula in the south and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, in the north.
The dam collapse flooded many downstream settlements and exacerbated Ukraine's electricity shortage. Following the collapse, farmland along the Dnipro River was also washed away. Meanwhile, the North Crimean water channel is at risk of drying up.
The UN Secretary-General described it as a "major humanitarian, economic , and ecological disaster." The UN is currently coordinating with the Ukrainian government to send aid in the form of drinking water and water filtration equipment.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, warned that a collapse of the Kakhovka dam would lead to a shortage of cooling water at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and could disrupt the operation of emergency generators.
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