residents of Zaporizhia power station worried after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam

Since the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam a week ago, concern has grown around the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant, located upstream of the hydroelectric structure. Under Russian control, the plant draws water from the river to cool the hearts of its reactors, but the drop in the level of the Dnipro river gives the inhabitants of the region cold sweats.

>> War in Ukraine: In the Kherson region, residents trapped between the front and floods due to the destruction of the Kakhovka dam

Volodymyr and Valentina live in the region. Their house had direct access to the Dnipro from the garden. But since the destruction of the dam, the level of the river has dropped so much that these retirees no longer live with their feet in the water, but in the mud. “The water used to come here, now there is nothinglaments Volodymyr. The level of the river drops every day. We were up to eight meters deep, look: there are only puddles of water left.”

Just opposite the house, barely five kilometers away, is the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant. Volodymyr, like many in the area, wonders if it will have enough water to cool the cores of its six reactors. So the retiree confides: “Of course we are afraid, because it is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Chernobyl next door is a toy. If it explodes, everyone will suffer.“The observation is all the more painful as he remembers the good times spent in the waters of the Dnipro.”We swam here, we caught fish. And all of that is over. No life is possible without water. It is a disaster.”

His wife, Valentina, stands by his side. Faced with this landscape of desolation, her face betrays fatigue and anguish. “It’s a horror… The water has disappearedshe breathes. Here, before, it was a paradise and it has become a hell. What worries us is the plant. Putin must withdraw his troops. This is the condition for living in peace.“And Valentina continues to wonder:”How many people still have to die?“

Also very concerned, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has requested access to the plant to independently assess the situation, including water levels.