Occupiers are dumping water from Kakhovka Reservoir, bringing disaster at ZNPP closer. PHOTOS
Judging by satellite images, Russia is draining the Kakhov reservoir, endangering agricultural production and safety at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to UNIAN.
As NPR writes, since the beginning of November 2022, water has been gushing from the Kakhovka reservoir in southern Ukraine through the sluice gates of a hydroelectric plant controlled by the Russian occupiers. Satellite images show that the water level in the reservoir has fallen to its lowest level in three decades.
Water level in 2022 / photo by PLANET
The water level in 2023 / photo by PLANET
This situation is dangerous because the Kakhovka reservoir provides drinking water for hundreds of thousands of residents, irrigation of almost half a million acres of agricultural land, and the cooling system of the Zaporizhzhia NPP.
Local authorities warn that if the level falls below 13.2 meters, the cooling system of the ZNPP, which runs on water from the reservoir, will be in danger. Residents of Enerhodar, Melitopol, and Berdiansk may face water shortages.
Late last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency said it was aware of the potential risk associated with falling water levels in the reservoir.
"Even though the lowering of the water level does not pose an immediate threat to nuclear and physical security, it could become a source of concern if it is allowed to continue," said director general Raffaele Grossi.
Meteorologist David Helms said Russia likely spent several months using the Kakhovka Reservoir to replenish the network of reservoirs in Crimea, filling all 23 reservoirs.
We will remind you that the Kakhovka HPP has located 5 km from the city of Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region, captured by the Russians. This HPP is the lowest and last (sixth) stage in the cascade of Dnipro hydroelectric stations. The hydroelectric power plant near Nova Kakhovka provides annual regulation of the flow of the Dnipro to have electricity and water in the southern part of Ukraine.
