The destruction of the Kahovka dam in southern Ukraine will have devastating consequences for Ukrainian agriculture. Ukraine may lose 14 percent of its agricultural production due to floods.
Minister of Agriculture of Ukraine to Mykola Solsky according to the destruction of the Kahovka dam will have dramatic effects on the region’s agriculture.
– There will be no water in the area’s irrigation systems for years. To fix them, the Kahovka dam should first be renovated, said Solskyi On Ukrainian TV.
The Agriculture Ministry said earlier this week that the destruction of the dam could turn at least 500,000 hectares of the area into deserts if left without irrigation.
According to the ministry, the natural disaster will cut off water supply from 31 irrigation systems in the Dnipro, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. The irrigation systems cover an area of 584,000 hectares.
– You have to understand that the extent of the problem is huge, said Solskyi.
The ministry previously announced that Ukraine may lose 14 percent of its agricultural production, i.e. more than 3 million tons of grain Kahovka the destruction of the hydropower plant as a result.
Researcher at the University of Helsinki Freek van der Vet said the dammed artificial lake has been an important source of water for agriculture in the area.
– Many will lose their livelihood in Ukraine because of this, but the effects of the flood on agriculture will probably be seen in other countries as well. People are unable to cultivate their own land, van der Vet says.
Ukraine is a globally significant producer of grain and oilseeds.
As a result of the destruction of the dam, contaminated water has also spread over a wide area. Contaminated water will affect, among other things, rare animal and plant species.
– This is a disaster that will affect Ukraine on many levels, says van der Vet.