More than 600 km2 were flooded Thursday morning, according to the Ukrainian regional governor, two days after the destruction of the building. Evacuations are particularly complex.
There is still urgency in the Kherson region, two days after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. By Thursday morning, nearly 2,000 people had been evacuated to the western bank of the Dnipro River, Kherson Regional Governor Aleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram. The latter adds that 600 km2 are now under water: 32% on the western bank and 68% on the eastern bank, occupied by the Russian army. For their part, the occupation authorities have announced more than 4,500 evacuations.
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Zodiac, kayak, paddle, makeshift raft… On the western shore, the inhabitants have used all possible means to flee the rising waters. This is particularly true in the Korabel district, the most affected in Kherson, where 1,500 people have already been evacuated. President Volodymyr Zelensky went to the outskirts of the district on Thursday morning to salute the work of the rescuers. He also held a working meeting to coordinate humanitarian aid. This one is complex. “The difficulty is to access the flooded houses”explains Ksenia, a Unicef employee interviewed by franceinfo. “Many people in flooded areas cannot get to evacuation points”these meeting places on the outskirts of the affected neighborhoods.
Emergency services estimate that “20 localities and 2,629 houses” were flooded on the shore controlled by Ukrainian forces. Artillery fire further complicates already difficult relief operations. “We have to arrive early, but we have to leave around 3 a.m. because that’s when there is usually an intensification of the bombardments”adds Fabrice Martin, director of the NGO Care. “We are still in this atmosphere of war.”
Some residents, on the other hand, have no intention of leaving their homes. A 53-year-old man died in the village of Vasylivka after refusing to be evacuated, according to police from the neighboring Mykolaiv region.
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The Russian army strikes evacuation points in Kherson, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry also accused on Telegram. “The shelling began during the evacuation of residents whose houses had been flooded”, says the same source. At least three people were injured: a civilian, a policeman and a first aider.
Critical situation on the Russian-controlled shore
On the left (eastern) bank, the situation is just as worrying, especially since the topology is even more unfavorable. At least five people died in the floods, Nova Kakhovka Mayor Vladimir Leontiev was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying, and two people are still missing. The town of Olechky, close to a swamp area, is particularly affected. Ihe elected mayor in exile, Yevhen Ryschouk, says that some residents have been waiting for two days on their roof, and that the locality is now 90% under water.
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Occupation leader of Kherson region Vladimir Saldo on Telegram accused Ukrainian forces of firing at Holaya Pristan evacuation point. According to him, two pPeople were killed and two others were injured.
The water level continues to rise in the Inhoulets River, a tributary of the Dnipro River, report on telegram Kherson regional administration. Five localities are potentially flood-prone, and the water is approaching homes. On the other hand, the water level is gradually decreasing in the Kherson sector, on the river, but it still exceeds 6 meters.
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According to Ihor Syrota, general manager of the Ukrhydroenergo company, which manages the infrastructure, it will be impossible to repair the Kakhovka dam. The water level has already dropped by one meter in the reservoir, which is gradually emptying. “We will store water in the reservoirs upstream, in order to fill the Kakhovka reservoir as soon as possible, after the liberation of the territory”, he said in a message relayed by his company on Telegram. According to him, five years will be necessary to build a new reservoir, on condition of working “7 days a week and 24 hours a day”. The Ukrainian Reconstruction Fund has urgently released 38 million euros to launch the laying of new water pipes, the construction of additional wells and the distribution of drinking water.