In Ukraine, Dam Collapse Has Long-term Effects
2023-06-16
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1The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine caused widespread flooding and might cause long-term environmental damage.
2The Associated Press described some of the effects on the Dnieper River area recently.
3Here is what the AP found:
4There are six dams along the Dnieper River.
5They were designed to operate together, so that water levels would remain more or less the same throughout the year.
6When Russian forces seized the Kakhovka Dam, the system fell into disrepair.
7Whether done on purpose or carelessly, the Russian forces permitted water levels to rise and fall uncontrolled.
8They dropped dangerously low in winter and rose very high when snow melted, and spring rains filled the reservoir.
9Since the dam's collapse, the running waters have unburied landmines, destroyed weapons and ammunition, and carried 150 tons of machine oil to the Black Sea.
10Whole towns were underwater, and thousands of animals died in a large national park now under Russian occupation.
11Oil can be seen on the water around flooded Kherson, the capital of southern Ukraine's province of the same name.
12Homes smell of rot as cars, first-floor rooms, and underground floors remain underwater.
13Large oil slicks can be seen across the river from the city's port and industrial buildings, creating a new pollution problem for the Dnieper.
14Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry estimated 10,000 hectares of farmland were underwater in the territory of Kherson province controlled by Ukraine.
15It said, "many times more than that" in territory occupied by Russia.
16Farmers are already having problems.
17Dmytro Neveselyi, mayor of Maryinske village, said everyone in the community of 18,000 people will be affected.
18"Today and tomorrow, we'll be able to provide the population with drinking water," he said.
19After that, who knows. "The canal that supplied our water reservoir has also stopped flowing."
20The water level began to decrease on Friday, showing the environmental damage.
21The reservoir could hold 18 cubic kilometers of water.
22The Kakhovka Dam was the last along hundreds of kilometers of the Dnieper River that passed through Ukraine's main industrial and agricultural areas.
23For many years, the Dnieper carried water containing industrial and agricultural chemicals which settled in the soil at the bottom of the reservoir.
24Ukrainian officials are testing the soil for poisonous substances.
25It risks turning into poisonous dust with the arrival of summer, said Eugene Simonov.
26He is an environmental scientist with the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Working Group, a non-profit organization of environmental activists and researchers.
27The amount of long-term damage depends on the movement of the front lines in an unpredictable war.
28It is unclear if the dam and reservoir can be brought back or if the land will become what it once was.
29Kateryna Filiuta is an expert in protected environments for the Ukraine Nature Conservation Group.
30She said it will take 10 years for the plant and animal populations to return and adjust to the new environment, and possibly longer for the Ukrainians who live there.
31In Maryinske, a farming community, people are going through records to find old water sources.
32"Because a territory without water will become a desert," the mayor said.
33All of Ukraine will have to think about either rebuilding the reservoir or thinking differently about the area, its water supply and its plants and animals.
34Filiuta said, "The worst consequences will probably not affect us directly, not me, not you, but rather our future generations, because this man-made disaster is not transparent."
35I'm Gregory Stachel.
1The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine caused widespread flooding and might cause long-term environmental damage. 2The Associated Press described some of the effects on the Dnieper River area recently. Here is what the AP found: 3Short term effects 4There are six dams along the Dnieper River. They were designed to operate together, so that water levels would remain more or less the same throughout the year. When Russian forces seized the Kakhovka Dam, the system fell into disrepair. 5Whether done on purpose or carelessly, the Russian forces permitted water levels to rise and fall uncontrolled. They dropped dangerously low in winter and rose very high when snow melted, and spring rains filled the reservoir. 6Since the dam's collapse, the running waters have unburied landmines, destroyed weapons and ammunition, and carried 150 tons of machine oil to the Black Sea. Whole towns were underwater, and thousands of animals died in a large national park now under Russian occupation. 7Oil can be seen on the water around flooded Kherson, the capital of southern Ukraine's province of the same name. Homes smell of rot as cars, first-floor rooms, and underground floors remain underwater. Large oil slicks can be seen across the river from the city's port and industrial buildings, creating a new pollution problem for the Dnieper. 8Ukraine's Agriculture Ministry estimated 10,000 hectares of farmland were underwater in the territory of Kherson province controlled by Ukraine. It said, "many times more than that" in territory occupied by Russia. 9Farmers are already having problems. Dmytro Neveselyi, mayor of Maryinske village, said everyone in the community of 18,000 people will be affected. 10"Today and tomorrow, we'll be able to provide the population with drinking water," he said. After that, who knows. "The canal that supplied our water reservoir has also stopped flowing." 11Long term effects 12The water level began to decrease on Friday, showing the environmental damage. 13The reservoir could hold 18 cubic kilometers of water. The Kakhovka Dam was the last along hundreds of kilometers of the Dnieper River that passed through Ukraine's main industrial and agricultural areas. For many years, the Dnieper carried water containing industrial and agricultural chemicals which settled in the soil at the bottom of the reservoir. 14Ukrainian officials are testing the soil for poisonous substances. It risks turning into poisonous dust with the arrival of summer, said Eugene Simonov. He is an environmental scientist with the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Working Group, a non-profit organization of environmental activists and researchers. 15The amount of long-term damage depends on the movement of the front lines in an unpredictable war. It is unclear if the dam and reservoir can be brought back or if the land will become what it once was. 16Kateryna Filiuta is an expert in protected environments for the Ukraine Nature Conservation Group. She said it will take 10 years for the plant and animal populations to return and adjust to the new environment, and possibly longer for the Ukrainians who live there. 17In Maryinske, a farming community, people are going through records to find old water sources. 18"Because a territory without water will become a desert," the mayor said. 19All of Ukraine will have to think about either rebuilding the reservoir or thinking differently about the area, its water supply and its plants and animals. 20Filiuta said, "The worst consequences will probably not affect us directly, not me, not you, but rather our future generations, because this man-made disaster is not transparent." 21I'm Gregory Stachel. 22Lori Hinnant, Sam Mcneil and Illia Novikov reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23______________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25reservoir - n. a usually artificial lake that is used to store a large supply of water for use in people's homes or in businesses 26slick -n. an oil spill that floats on top of the water 27rot - n. evidence of slow break down of organic material by microorganisms and weather 28canal - n. a waterway created by people so that boats could pass through it or to supply fields or crops with water 29adjust - v. to change in order to work or do better in a new situation 30consequence - n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions 31transparent - adj. easy to notice or understand 32______________________________________________________________ 33What do you think of this story? 34We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 35Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.