Briana Koeneman
Ukraine warns of eco disaster after Russia allegedly blows up dam
An adviser for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "a global ecological disaster is playing out" as nearby towns could flood.
LEARN MOREPosted: 10:46 p.m. EDT Jun 14, 2023
It's been more than a week since the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, but the devastating effects continue to grow.
The short-term dangers are still unfolding, visible in both footage from the ground and from space with satellite imagery.
Downstream, houses, businesses, and farmland are drowning in the floodwaters unleashed by the destroyed dam.
Thousands of people and animals alike have been forced to abandon their homes.
Nature conservation areas bordering the flooded river have been completely submerged.
Satellite images reveal that areas upstream from the dam are also impacted, such as the massive Kakhovka Reservoir, which has rapidly drained to historically low levels.
The bottom of the reservoir is now visible in the satellite imagery.
That means important water canals linked to the reservoir are no longer able to pull in water for farmland irrigation.
In some areas the flooding has started to recede, revealing more of the damage from this disaster.
Experts say the long-term impacts could last for generations to come.
In some cases, hazardous industrial facilities are dangerously close to the Dnipro River, and within reach of floodwaters from the dam.
Water damage to these facilities could wreak untold havoc on the surrounding areas and locations downstream.
Some of the most serious concerns are environmental.
But the floodwaters have washed up some dangerous scenarios for a country in the midst of a bloody war.
Water has uprooted landmines, torn through stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, and saturated sites like gas stations and chemical storage sites with water.
