The region’s future after the terrorist attack on the Kakhovka dam: effective planning or haste? Environmental impact

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The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved launching the pilot project to build the Kakhovka HPP Hydraulic Power Unit, restore the Kakhovka dam after its collapse, and ensure the sustainable operation of the Dnipro HPP during the restoration period.

A number of people, including those in expert groups of the specialized committee and independent experts, are working on the future of the Kakhovka HPP and Reservoir, which were blown up by the russians. However, as of today, there is no joint discussion between specialists. Yakiv Didukh, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Head of Department of Geobotany and Ecology, M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, talked about this at the discussion at the country’s main discussion platform BrainHub at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. 

“Each expert group works at its own level. Apparently, when the Cabinet of Ministers approved its decision on the project, only the expert groups involved in it at that time participated in it. I wasn’t involved, so I can’t say. At the same time, I believe that we should be guided not by emotions, but by calculations. The Cabinet of Ministers put forward only one option of how the event may unfold, I see four.”

The landscape of the Kakhovka Reservoir and the Velykyi Luh has changed. Before the russians blew up the dam, the soil there had been fertile. Instead, the land is now covered with silt, which is also likely to become a substrate for the development of vegetation. However, this will take some time. After all, it is necessary to wait for the soil to form, develop its structure and accumulate organic matter. Serhiy Dubniak, Head of the Department of Ecological Hydrology and Technical Hydrobiology, Institute of Hydrobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, made this statement during the discussion at the country’s main discussion platform BrainHub at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform.

“The question arises: what to do next? Especially in the light of the Cabinet of Ministers’ decision, which, in my opinion, was somewhat hasty. After all, to date scientists, planners and the public haven’t reached a consolidated position regarding, firstly, whether to rebuild the Kakhovka HPP and, secondly, how to do it.”

The issue becomes even more complicated by the fact that there is no direct access to the main basin of the reservoir. During the discussion at the country’s main discussion platform BrainHub at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform, Serhiy Dubniak said that their institute had received water samples from volunteers.

Dmytro Skrylnikov, Head of the Bureau of Environmental Investigation NGO, the Kakhovka Platform initiator during the discussion at the country’s main discussion platform BrainHub in Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform, said that the terrorist attack, as well as the restoration of the Kakhovka HPP, affects the entire region and those communities that live there Therefore, the community should take part in the discussion about the future of the Kakhovka HPP and Reservoir.

“The government decision is trying to push us towards discussing a certain project, and by doing so they are depriving us of certain alternative options. Obviously, when the Kakhovka HPP was built in the soviet times, no one was interested in the public opinion, nor were they when they destroyed it. And I would not want these premature decisions to have an impact on the fate of the region and its people.”

During the discussion at the country’s main discussion platform BrainHub at Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform, Oleh Lystopad, an expert at the National Interests Advocacy Network (ANTS) pointed out that the government had not consulted on the restoration of the Kakhovka HPP with experts who have scientific background.

“The government must come up with terms of reference, the government must hold a tender and find financing. Scientists will create a scientific team and let’s see what scenarios the scientists will propose for the recovery of the region as a whole,” said Oleh Lystopad.

BrainHub is the country’s main discussion platform created by Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. It brings together experts from the state and civil society sectors. BrainHub hosts intellectual discussions around the issues of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. It’s the birthplace of the best ideas that will become the foundation for the road map of Ukraine’s reconstruction in all sectors: economy, infrastructure, education, agriculture, security, digital, etc. 

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