The UN warned that the situation in Kherson would worsen after the destruction of the Khakovka dam

The United Nations He expressed his concern this Wednesday after being alerted to the situation GersonAround the destroyed dam Gakovka, “It will get worse in the next few hours” And it creates a Huge humanitarian impact And seriously increase Health hazards of the people.

“We are told that the disaster is likely to worsen in the coming hours as water levels continue to rise and many more towns and villages are inundated. This will affect people’s access to essential services and seriously increase health risks,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

He commented that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and five other agencies are already assessing the damage and coordinating a humanitarian response with local NGOs and Kherson authorities.

A dam burst early Tuesday, flooding nearby areas, affecting dozens of homes and more. 10,000 hectares of agricultural land settles on the western edge Dnieper River.

For its part, the International Organization for Migration said the day before some 1,500 people were forced from their homes and taken to a nearby town. Mykolive The Ukrainian government updated and recalculated the figure More than 17,000 civilians Those who left their homes.

Along with evacuation efforts, the UN and organizations have helped people in five towns in Kherson and Mykolaiv with thousands of water bottles and sanitizing tablets, as well as essential items for children and food.

In this sense, one of the most noticed features by experts Access to drinking water Thousands of people depended on the Kajowka reserve to meet this basic need. The levels are “rapidly declining,” reducing the amount of water that is safe to drink.

“The destruction of the dam is likely Affects food safetyThe irrigation systems of the Kherson region were damaged, but also the irrigation systems of the Dnipro and Zaporizhia were damaged due to newly planted crops on the flooded surface.

Therefore, consequently, it can Southern farmlands are drying up of the country and take a Transport of pollutants into waterways; Some officials have warned 150 tonnes of oil was washed from the plant. This is forcing the reconstruction of the map of Ukraine, altering nearby ecosystems New ecological balances.

“There are catastrophic consequences for the environment. We have lost some of our ecosystems forever,” lamented Ukrainian minister Ruslan Strilets.

Meanwhile, emergency coordinator Martin Griffiths said the destruction of the dam was “probably A major damage incident to civilian infrastructure since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began a year ago.

President Volodymyr ZelenskyHe targeted his counterpart Vladimir Putin For being behind this attack, the international community should open an investigation and condemn this crime.

“The deliberate destruction of the dam and other hydroelectric infrastructure by the Russian occupiers is an environmental bomb of massive destruction. The world must react to this,” he said.

(with information from EFE)

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