At least 100,000 tons of crops lost in Kakhovka Dam explosion; several million could be lost
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Over 100,000 tons of grain have been lost because of Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station (HPP), while it is difficult to assess the extent of damages on the Russian-controlled left bank of the Dnipro River.
On the Ukrainian-controlled right bank, over 100,000 tons of crops have been lost, Taras Vysotskyi, the First Deputy Minister of Agricultural Policy and Food of Ukraine, revealed on Ukraine’s national television on June 9.
Several million tons of Ukrainian harvest could be lost due to flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP.
The flooded lands will require a comprehensive agroecological assessment of the soil conditions once the water recedes. In most cases, special soil restoration methods will be needed.
“On the lands affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP, two main categories of crops were grown. One of them includes vegetable and horticultural crops. The second category consists of grain and oil crops such as soybeans, corn, sunflower, and wheat. Without a water supply source, it is impossible to talk about vegetable production. The cultivation of grain and oil crops will follow an extensive model with low yields,” noted Vysotskyi.
He said that the inability to irrigate and cultivate millions of tons of grain and oil crops poses the greatest threat to international food security.
Explosion at Kakhovka HPP — what is known
Russia’s troops have occupied Nova Kakhovka for more than a year. On the night of June 6, the dam was blown from the inside. The water flow from the reservoir, which was close to its highest recorded water level, has endangered over 80 towns and settlements, including the regional capital of Kherson, downstream on the Dnipro River.
The left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro River, which is under Russian occupation, is affected the most.
The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was completely destroyed and cannot be repaired, state hydroelectric company Ukrhydroenergo said. The dam wasn’t destroyed completely, but significantly damaged, the Ukrainian military’s South Operational Command said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered an evacuation from the endangered areas and supply of safe drinking water to people who were reliant on water from the Kakhovka reservoir.
The evacuation from the right bank of Kherson Oblast continued even during the night, while the left bank, which suffered greater flooding and is currently under occupation, is facing a catastrophe.
The Prosecutor General’s Office opened an investigation on the incident under article of the Criminal Code on ecocide.
President Zelenskyy has called Russia’s attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has said that the Russian demolition of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant increases the threat of a nuclear disaster.
The temporary mayor of the occupied town of Oleshky, Yevhen Ryshchuk, reported at least eight deaths as a result of the flooding.
Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Oblast Military Administration, announced that in Kherson, as of the morning of June 9, there is a trend of decreasing water levels. Overnight, the water level dropped by 20 centimeters.
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