The Human and Ecological Consequences of the Destruction of Kakhovka Dam and Reservoir, Ukraine

In the early hours of June 6, 2023, during the Russia-Ukraine War, the massive Kakhovka Dam on the Dnipro River, Ukraine was destroyed. After the destruction of the dam, four cities and several dozen villages were extensively flooded, killing many people, and destroying or damaging industrial and urban infrastructure. The event released the contents of the Kakhovske reservoir, estimated to be around 18 to 19 cubic kilometers of water, with widespread consequences for human populations, ecological systems, water quality (including nitrogen, phosphorus, and heavy metals), and cutting off water supply for extensive agricultural lands and irrigation systems, several large cities and towns, and major energy stations, including the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Bacteriological and chemical pollution data in both the lower Dnipro River and the northwestern part of the Black Sea were obtained from Ukrainian research centers in the period after the dam’s destruction. These data show dramatic changes in water quality, the release of agricultural and industrial chemicals, and increased sediment flows and biogenic activity/algal blooms in the Dnipro River and Black Sea. This talk will summarize the known and expected consequences of this event, focused on the loss of the reservoir and water supply for major cities and irrigated land, consequences for Ukraine’s energy system (both the hydropower and thermal/nuclear systems dependent on the river and lost reservoir), the impacts along the river downstream of the dam, and effects in the area of the Black Sea near the mouth of the river. Additional information from the Pacific Institute’s open-source database -- The Water Conflict Chronology -- will also be provided on the use of other hydrologic resources and water infrastructure as casualties or weapons of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the context of a long history of water-related violence.