First research of the contamination of the sediments from Kakhovka reservoir

Since the very beginning of the war, Ukraine began to record the damage caused by the Russia. Numerous incidents have caused serious pollution to air, water and soil and have seriously damaged many ecosystems. One of the best-known, and most stirring examples, of environmental damage caused by the war is the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023. It caused widespread flooding which hit settlements and farmland across the region. After less than one month the reservoir had almost completely disappeared and the original network of branches of the river re-emerged at the site of the former reservoir, 1870 square kilometers of former lake bed was exposed.

This study of the Kakhovka dam was created as the first part of a long-term project “Clean air for Ukraine” that will run until 2025 in the Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions. To indicate the level of risk caused by potential contamination of the sediments of the exposed river bottom, five samples were collected in cooperation with the Environmental Inspectorate of the Southern District in Zaporizhzhia. In addition, two more soil samples were taken from the craters after the impact of an S-300 missile, which will form part of further studies focused on the damage caused by military actions. Feel free to download the full text of the study below.

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Arnika, z.s. – First research of the contamination of the sediments from Kakhovka reservoir_2023