The consequences of this event, which has already killed at least 27 people, promise to be very heavy for agriculture, but also for the local fauna and flora, alert the Ukrainian public authorities as well as NGOs.
The water level is falling, but disarray is growing in southern Ukraine. Hit by a major flood on June 6 after the explosion of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro river, the regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson count their dead and their wounded. At least 27 people lost their lives, in territories controlled by Ukraine or by the Russian army. Thirty others were still missing on Wednesday June 14.
“It will take another two weeks before the level [du Dnipro] not return to normal”, warned Tuesday, on Facebook, the Ukrainian Emergency Service, whose rescuers face many dangers. In addition to the debris, the flooding displaced anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, which could explode even underwater.
But the event above all represents an unprecedented ecological disaster in the area, where hundreds of thousands of hectares of agricultural land are threatened, according to the authorities. In parallel with these losses, suspicions of massive pollution make environmental NGOs fear the worst, which are scrutinizing the water analyzes in progress. Overview of the damage, already noted or to come, linked to the destruction of the dam.
Harvests “completely lost”
On social networks, videos showing the devastated fields after the flood give an overview of the disaster. We sometimes see disappointed farmers, like this watermelon farmer, one of the emblems of Kherson, filmed on his knees in the middle of his rotten fruits. “More than 10,000 hectares of agricultural land on the right bank of the Dnipro have been flooded (…), and even more on the left bank, which is occupied [par l’armée russe]“the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.
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far from natural, “the flood was particularly sudden”, explain to franceinfo Frédéric Grelot and Pauline Brémond, researchers at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae). “At less for the part closest to the dam, the flooding was necessarily violent with strong currents”, they point out. And this, “during a very important vegetative period for plants”seriously compromising production for the current year.
For certain crops, such as cereals, oilseeds or market gardening, “full crop loss is to be expected”, warn even the specialists. And the damage is not limited to crops: agricultural equipment, buildings or even stocks of phytosanitary products may also have been destroyed.
In addition to the flooded plots, the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture is particularly concerned about the land that depends on the irrigation so far allowed by the Kakhovka reservoir, emptied to nearly 75% of its water, according to the authorities. “More than one and a half million hectares of land were supplied with water [par ce moyen] and will not be able to be fully exploited, the ministry said on June 12. VSIt will take three to seven years to restore irrigation.” Without this precious system, “impossible to imagine a near future” in this agricultural region, lamented the ministry on Facebook.
A risk of a “massive fall” in biodiversity
Trapped by the rising waters, farm animals often did not have time to be evacuated by their owners. Just like pets, whose care requests “exploded”, as noted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) in a press release. No less than 30 tons of specific food are also on their way to the Mykolaiv region, details Ifaw on its site.
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Wild fauna and flora have been strongly affected by the rapid rise in water levels and the upheavals caused. “AT As the water warms, the decay of dead flora and fauna will reduce oxygen levels, which can lead to a massive drop in biodiversity.”alerted the Ukrainian Ministry of the Environment during a press briefing on Tuesday.
Already “80,000 hectares of nature reserve have been destroyed”, says in a note the Working Group on the Ecological Consequences of the War in Ukraine (Uwec). Woods, steppes and marshes that serve as breeding grounds for dozens of species of birds, migratory or not, but also for fish essential to the local ecosystem. “All living creatures in the reservoir area or downstream will suffer from the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant”summarizes the Uwec.
In response, several measures were taken by Oleksandr Prokudin, Governor of the Kherson region, including “the ban on selling fish or crayfish” fished or, worse, picked up in the area, he announced Tuesday on Facebook. Their consumption can “cause food poisoning, including botulism, a very dangerous and often fatal disease”warned the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture on the social network.
Pollution “proven, but difficult to assess”
By flooding farms, villages and industrial sites, the water from the dam has mixed with all kinds of chemicals, in addition to sewage and hydrocarbons. “Industrial products have probably been carried away by the currents”, explains to franceinfo Nickolai Denisov, of the environmental NGO Zoï, based in Switzerland. “These leaks are proven, but difficult to assess at this time.”
In the aftermath of the dam explosion, Ukrainian authorities said that at least 150 tonnes of motor oil used for the turbines of the hydroelectric plant had spilled. For the Uwec working group, the scenario is perhaps even worse. “Up to 280 tonnes of refined oils” from the plant have potentially contaminated the river, say its experts. Pollution which has created a film on the surface of the water, and which should “deposit on the bottom of the old reservoir as well as in the flooded area”.
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“The main threat is related to pollution, fuels, lubricants and chemicals“, said Oleg Pavlenko, head of a department of the State Environmental Inspectorate. “All of this will eventually end up in the Black Sea, points out for his part Nickolaï Denisov, in addition to a significant influx of fresh water which will disturb many species in the estuary” the Dnipro and the neighboring river Bug.
For many NGOs, the destruction of the Kakhovka dam is a crime against the region’s biodiversity. A “ecocide” same, according to Olena Kravchenko, director of the Ukrainian organization Environment People Law. “This will have unprecedented consequences”she warned, quoted by the Guardianabout this massive flood of which Ukraine and Russia accuse each other.
“What you have to remember is that we don’t yet know how serious the situation is”explains Nickolai Denisov, who all the same evokes a “environmental disaster”. The floods and then the drop in the water level are not “only the beginning”he insists, and it will now be necessary to monitor “closely” water analyzes as well as possible repairs to the Kakhovka reservoir. “Unfortunately, the information is coming to us in dribs and drabs. For a very simple reason: there are still hostilities in the area.”