Kyiv/Moscow: The Nova Kakhovka Disaster will turn Kherson and southern Ukraine into deserts, Ukrainian officials have warned. The blast occurred on Tuesday morning at the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in Kherson province. After this, the dam began spewing large quantities of water and flood-like conditions were created across hundreds of kilometres. Russia and Ukraine are engaged in massive relief operations, and more than 20,000 people have been relocated to safer places, according to the information released. According to data from Russia, five people died, and more than 40 were injured in the flood-like situation that emerged from the destruction of the dam.  

Some part of the ‘Nova Kakhovka’ dam, located in the Russian-controlled Kherson province, was broken by an explosion on Tuesday. Russia has alleged that Ukraine launched an attack and damaged the dam. At the same time, Ukraine and NATO accused Russia of being responsible for the damage to this dam. Russia has claimed that Ukraine attacked this dam to divert the world’s attention from the failed counteroffensive campaign against Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine and NATO officials claimed that the attack might have been carried out to create an obstruction in Ukraine’s preparations for a counteroffensive in the ‘West Bank’ area of the Dnipro River.  

Due to the Nova Kakhovka dam destruction, Ukraine and the Western countries had warned about the risk of a dangerous environmental disaster in Kherson province. Its reality is now beginning to emerge.  

More than 25 villages and towns on both sides of the Dnipro River were heavily inundated with water, and flood-like conditions were created over an area of hundreds of kilometres. This situation worsens daily, and the number of waterlogged regions is continuously rising.  

The Nova Kakhovka Dam has a capacity of 635 thousand million cubic feet, and a 357 MW hydroelectric project was installed here. Along with this, the water of this dam is also used for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The agriculture and grain production of Kherson, which is said to be the largest fertile region of Ukraine, is dependent on the Nova Kakhovka Dam. A total of 31 irrigation projects have been built on this dam, and water from it is supplied to about six lakh hectares of farmland. Most of the water needs of the Russian-controlled Crimea province depend on this dam.  

However, Ukrainian authorities fear the whole picture may change due to the destruction caused to the dam. Ukrainian officials warned that millions of hectares of land in Kherson and southern Ukraine would likely turn into deserts in the coming years. Along with agriculture, it has been warned that Ukraine will have to brace for obstacles in water supply and generation of electricity and face serious consequences of this crisis in the near future.  

Meanwhile, after the attack on a Russian-controlled ammonia gas pipeline, Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the “grain deal” with Ukraine would be terminated. 

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