The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine raises fears of a humanitarian and ecological disaster. But for now, the candidates for evacuation are few.
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Under a military tent, in front of Mykolaiv station, Vladimir Slivinski and his team of Ukrainian first aid services await the arrival of the train from the flooded territories. Tuesday, June 6, after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, the first convoy waited a long time at Kherson station to embark as many people as possible. But they were only 46 in the end. “That’s the Ukrainian mentality. Nobody wants to leave their houseexplains Vladimir. Everyone tries to save their animals, to help their loved ones. Those who really leave are those who have already lost everything and have no other choice.”
>> BEFORE/AFTER. War in Ukraine: Discover the extent of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and its consequences
Forty more arrived by their own means or by bus. It is not yet the exodus that we feared here when the Kakhovka dam was destroyed overnight from Monday to Tuesday, but it is only the beginning, explains Vladimir. “I think other people will leave later when they see what’s left of their house, if there is still something to salvage or nothing left.”
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The partial destruction of the Kakhovka dam has released millions of cubic meters of water and the water will continue to rise “one meter over the next 20 hours”according to the head of the military administration of the Kherson region. “Over 17,000” civilians, should be evacuated, according to the authorities. So far, less than 3,000 people have been.
Concerns for the shores occupied by the Russians
What worries people here is above all the fate of the people flooded on the left bank of the Dnipro, the one occupied by the Russians. The banks there are lower and more populated. It is therefore feared that there will be much more damage and victims than what the occupation authorities want to say. And Vladimir and his colleagues know very well that they can do nothing to help these people. The head of the occupation government, mentions 14 localities and “more than 22,000 people” threatened by rising waters.
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According to Ukraine, 42,000 people are directly threatened by floods and
hundreds of thousands of inhabitants will no longer have access to drinking water. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he fears “massive environmental damage”. More than 150 tonnes of motor oil have spilled into the river and thousands of hectares of arable land will be flooded, according to kyiv, which reported numerous “dead fish” in the zone. The consequences of this disaster could be felt for decades in southern Ukraine. The dam supplied water to many agricultural lands in one of the largest grain exporting countries in the world.
At Mykolaiv station with first aid teams waiting for flooded Kherson – Reportage by Camille Magnard
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