An Eastern Europe energy policy expert explains the devastating global impacts of the Kakhovka Dam bombing
and ensuing price surges that resulted, however predictably, from the brutal invasion of one of the most important agricultural countries by another one of the most important agricultural exporters.
Meanwhile, the Kakhovka Dam’s destruction will further damage Ukraine’s already strained and struggling agricultural sector. Farmers need land and water to plant and harvest. For a vast swath of Ukraine’s most fertile regions, the loss of the Kakhovka Reservoir will mean they cannot expect a productive crop. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Agriculture,hectares of agricultural land will be flooded to the west of the Dnieper River, and many times more on the Russian controlled eastern side.
Similarly, the Dnieper River and its abutting oblasts are some of Ukraine’s most important industrial centers. Iron smelting and steel production require water in the manufacturing process, and surrounding factories have now lost the Kakhovka Reservoir as a source. Both Ukraine’s Metinvest and ArcelorMittal have numerous plants and factories in the affected areas.
Another reason you should care about the bombing of the Kakhovka Dam is the elevated risk of a nuclear disaster. The loss of the Kakhovka Reservoir puts the besieged Zaporizhzhye NPP at greater risk of a meltdown because it relied on the dam for water to cool the reactors and spent fuel. This first became a concern in early 2023 when satellite footage showed that Russian troops were experimenting with intentionallythe Kakhovka Reservoir.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukraine war: 'Ecological catastrophe' - Five environmental impacts of Nova Kakhovka dam collapseSky News looks at the ways the destruction of the dam is expected to impact Ukraine, from immediate emergency issues to long-term problems.
Read more »
Nova Kakhovka dam: Satellite images reveal scale of destruction wrought on Ukraine's landscapeBefore-and-after pictures show the impact of the huge amounts of water that have swept across southern Ukraine after the hydroelectric dam was ruined.
Read more »
How the breach of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam could affect a nuclear plantThe lake from which it draws still holds enough water for a few months, says a spokesman for Energoatom, Ukraine’s nuclear operator. Others are less optimistic
Read more »
Life in Kherson after the Kakhovka dam’s collapseLife for the citizens of war-battered Kherson was never easy—but this week it got a whole lot worse. olliecarroll reports from the city, where tens of thousands of homes have been flooded
Read more »