Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On June 6, it will be three years since the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station — a tragedy that forever changed the lives of thousands of people.
The flood washed away houses, destroyed people’s property, flooded agricultural lands, and damaged major infrastructure facilities. Water supply systems throughout the region were affected, leaving cities and villages without drinking water. Many families still feel the consequences of this tragedy, continuing to live away from home under conditions of complete uncertainty.
On this day at the UN, solidarity is expressed with the victims. Through personal stories, United Nations staff members seek to remind of what people had to go through as a result of the destruction of the Kashoovskaya HPP.
Anna
“It was terrifying to see how our village was rapidly flooding. Most of all, we were afraid that the water could wash away the mines and bring them to our settlement,” shares Anna, who managed to leave her home with her family just before the flood.
The house was severely damaged: with the support of UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), the family was able to repair the walls and floors damaged by the flooding.
Natalya and her children
“We left without a penny in our pocket, we had nothing. Sometimes we simply didn’t know what to buy the food with,” Natalia recounts.
Together with two children, she fled from Belozerka when the village was flooded after the dam was destroyed.
“I only took two bags with me: one with clothes, the other with school supplies,” adds 13-year-old Elizaveta.
The family received financial assistance from UNICEF (the UN Children’s Fund), which, in particular, allowed them to provide the younger child — with special educational needs — the opportunity to study.
Nikita
“Around six in the evening, the water began to rise and flooded the first floors. We stayed in the apartment and waited for rescuers,” says Nikita, who was evacuated on a boat together with his grandmother.
He also saved his dog Georgik. “I wouldn’t have left him there alone,” Nikita admits. The guy didn’t take anything from his personal belongings, but he did not forget about his four-legged friend.
Evgenia
A mother of five children from Kherson, Evgenia, said after the destruction of the HPP that the family filled all the containers and tanks in the house with drinking water, expecting that there would be neither water supply nor electricity in the house.
“We have already gone through this during heavy shelling, when we sat with the children without water and electricity for an entire month. And to go through this again, especially in the summer with children, was unbearably difficult,” says Evgenia.
Elena
“There was a stronger flood in the village. Many houses near the river were completely submerged and destroyed, making it impossible to stay there. We were lucky — our house withstood, but since then, our water supply has not been working,” says single mother Elena.
She returned to KolaNovka (Kherson region) immediately after the village was again under the control of Ukraine. Soon, KolaNovka was flooded due to the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP. Elena received assistance from the UVKB and was able to make repairs in the house.
Vitaly Glushchenko and the residents of Pokrov
“There was almost no water for nearly a month at all,” recalls Vitaliy Glushchenko, head of the communal enterprise “Pokrovvodokanal” and a resident of the city of Pokrov in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
“We used what was left in the reservoir. Donors helped – they brought water. We placed large tanks around the city and filled them from water trucks. People came with canisters, buckets, and bottles.”
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) supported the repair of the water supply system in Pokrov and other settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The UN continues to restore infrastructure in the affected areas
Three years later, UN agencies continue to restore infrastructure under war conditions, including water supply systems in areas affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP. At the same time, the UN is engaged in eliminating the environmental consequences of the disaster and searching for solutions that would allow the population to use the land of the former reservoir basin for agriculture.
Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law, the UN reminds, and they must stop.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an exact report of what the source asserts and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.