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On the morning of Tuesday, June 6, the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam led to the discharge of the contained water with a phenomenal flow: six times that of Niagara Falls. On set, journalist Nicolas Chateauneuf takes stock of the situation.
Since dawn on Tuesday June 6, the waves have poured into the valley and flooded the municipalities along the Dnieper after the destruction of the hydroelectric dam of Kakhovka. “This morning, the breach was about 250 meters wide. This afternoon, it widened to 400 meters”explains the journalist Nicolas Chateauneuf, present on the set of 20 Hours this Tuesday. This flow is more than six times that of Niagara Falls. This dam, built by the Soviets, was installed to control the river.
17,000 people to be evacuated on the Ukrainian side
A road bridge, it also provided power to 160,000 homes thanks to its hydroelectric power station. The dam also created a gigantic reservoir of water, equivalent to 18 times Lake Annecy. But above all,it was one of the few bridges still operational between the northern shore, under Ukrainian control and the southern shore under Russian control“, reports the journalist. On the Ukrainian side, the port and the coastline of Kherson will be affected by these waters, while the Ukrainians evoke 17,000 people to evacuate on their side. “The Russian-occupied southern shore is flatter and should take a bit more damage. As for the impacts on wildlife and flora, they are absolutely gigantic”concludes Nicholas Chateauneuf.