The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
STORYLINE
Ukraine: Around 700,000 people affected by fast depletion of Kakhovka Reservoir after dam's destruction
UN humanitarians have continued to respond to serious food and water shortages in Ukraine following the Kakhovka dam disaster, delivering relief supplies on Friday to vulnerable families in the rural Kherson Region, close to the front line.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by the destruction of the dam on 6 June 2023 which has impacted water supplies, sanitation and sewage systems, in addition to health services.
As part of the aid effort, the UN Children’s Fund and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) transported live-saving water and food to families by boat, only 15 kilometres from the contact line.
“We are using today four boats to deliver assistance to these 500 families, a small community that is here close by where I am now”, said Saviano Abreu, head of communications for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ukraine. “These communities, they already have been facing the consequences of the war. This area was before under Russian control. Late last year around November, it was retaken by Ukraine and now, they are now facing this new catastrophe with the flooding here.”
The emptying of Kakhovka Reservoir has left tens of thousands of people in southern Ukraine without access to piped water, mainly in Dnipropetrovska oblast.
The reservoir – one of the largest in Europe and a source of drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people – is reportedly 70 per cent empty, according to Ukrainian authorities. The width of the reservoir has also decreased from three kilometres to one, while the water level is now at around seven meters, which is below the 12-metre operational threshold, OCHA reported.
“Our calculation is that 200,000 people in the Dnipro region, for example, they have already been cut off from the water from their houses,” said Mr. Abreu. “But a number of families, of people, that could face this kind of this same situation goes up to more than 700,000 people because these are the people that the reservoir would be the source of drinking water around southern Ukraine, not only here in the Kherson region.”
Large urban areas in Dnipropetrovska oblast, including Pokrovska, Nikopolska and Marhanetska, are completely cut off from centralized water and others like Apostolivska and Zelenodolska have extremely limited access. This has left over 210,000 people in this area alone in urgent need of life-saving water, according to estimates from the United Nations and its humanitarian partners.
The receding floodwater has also created other deadly challenges in the form of landmines that have been scattered far and wide.
“This area, I think it is one of the most mine contaminated parts of the world,” said Mr Saviano. “We already know that, and here in the southern part of the country it is one of the main issues. It is the reason, why for example, agriculture in Kherson, in Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia have been impacted because of the mine contamination, so the floodwater is moving the mines, that is a reality.”
Abigail Hartley, Chief of Policy, Advocacy and Donor Relations section from the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) added that “when the water subsides the mines are there. (The) good thing is that mines float, so they do stay on the surface. But, of course, there's a lot of other flood debris and they can get buried in sediment. So, it is a challenge as the already awful situation there. But the Ukrainian state services have done a good job of de-mining so far in Ukraine.”
Since the destruction of Kakhovka dam, OCHA and its humanitarian partners have continued life-saving operations and delivered at least 10 inter-agency convoys with vital items to thousands of people affected by the disaster.
-ends-
Please note that corresponding b-roll was made available by OCHA!!
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1g8lrbYeQ7TQ7EKbUfD-64IuDGmUGPVqC?usp=drive_link
SHOTLIST
- Medium shot, UN Palais with flags
- Wide shot, spokesperson in press briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English), Saviano Abreu, OCHA Head of Communications in Ukraine : “We are using today four boats to deliver assistance to these 500 families, a small community that is here close by where I am now. These communities, they already have been facing the consequences of the war. This area was before under Russian control. Late last year around November, it was retaken by Ukraine and now, they are now facing this new catastrophe with the flooding here.”
- Medium shot, journalists in the briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English), Saviano Abreu, OCHA Head of Communications in Ukraine : “Our calculation is that 200,000 people in the Dnipro region, for example, they have already been cut off from the water from their houses. But a number of families, of people, that could face this kind of this same situation goes up to more than 700,000 people because these are the people that the reservoir would be the source of drinking water around southern Ukraine, not only here in the Kherson region.”
- Medium shot, spokesperson at podium with screen in the background
- SOUNDBITE (English), Saviano Abreu, OCHA Head of Communications in Ukraine : “This area, I think it is one of the most of the mine contaminated parts of the world. We already know that, and here in the southern part of the country it is one of the main issues. It is the reason, why for example, agriculture in Kherson, in Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia have been impacted because of the mine contamination, so the floodwater is moving the mines, that is a reality.”
- Medium shot, journalist with speakers at the podium
- SOUNDBITE (English), Abigail Hartley, Chief of Policy, Advocacy, Donor Relations and Outreach section from the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS): “When the water subside the mines are there. Good thing is that mines float, so they do stay on the surface. But of course there's a lot of other flood debris and they can get buried in sediment. So it is a challenge as the already awful situation there. But the Ukrainian state services have done a good job of de-mining so far in the Ukraine.”
- Wide shot, speakers at podium with camera
- Medium shot, handy typing
- Wide shot, press briefing room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WFP
Middle East war fallout: Hundreds of thousands flee Lebanon to Syria; vital food aid blocked – UN agencies
The trauma of mass displacement and humanitarian supply chain disruptions throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Bitterness, sadness and pride for UNRWA staff, says departing chief
Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO
Middle East war causes civilian terror and disrupts aid, but some relief efforts resume.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council, delivering a video statement on the strike that hit a girls school in Minab, Iran recently, calling for accountability and protection of children.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A new UN Human Rights report published on Tuesday details the human rights impacts of the expanding reach of gangs in Haiti. According to data verified by the Office, at least 5,519 people were killed in Haiti, and 2,608 were injured between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Marta Hurtado on Tuesday described the deadly impact of drone strikes in Sudan.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Sudan: Hospital strike highlights surge in drone attacks on civilians
The death toll from a horrific attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur has risen further, amid a “sharp increase” in drone attacks against civilians this year, UN agencies said on Tuesday.