The United Nations has revealed that
at least 16,000 people have already lost their homes with safe and clean drinking water supplies at risk as many thousands more over attack that led to destruction of Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in Ukraine.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres who disclosed this during encounter with pressmen on the situation in Ukraine, said no access to independent information on the circumstances that led to destruction of this dam.
But clearly said, “this is another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are seeing the effects in the city of Kherson, the town of Nova Kakhovka and 80 other towns and villages along the Dnipro river.
“Massive flooding. Large-scale evacuations. Environmental devastation. Destruction of newly planted crops. And added threats to the highly threatened Zaporizhzia nuclear power plant Europe’s largest nuclear facility”, UN Chief added.
Guterres stressed that today’s tragedy is yet another example of the horrific price of war on people. “The floodgates of suffering have been overflowing for more than a year. That must stop.
“Attacks against civilians and critical civilian infrastructure must stop. We must act to ensure accountability and respect for international humanitarian law.
He appealed for a just peace in line with the UN Charter, international law and the resolutions of the General Assembly. “We will continue our humanitarian work and our appeals for urgent safe and secure humanitarian access.
“The United Nations and humanitarian partners are rushing support in coordination with the Government of Ukraine – including drinking water and water purification tablets and other critical assistance”, UN Chief disclosed.
It was reported that a major Soviet- era dam in the Russian-controlled part of southern Ukraine was breached on Tuesday, unleashing floodwaters across the war zone in what both Ukraine and Russia said was an attack by the other’s forces.
According to Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on tweets, said Russia has been controlling the dam and the entire Kakhovka HPP for more than a year, adding that it’s physically impossible to blow the dam up somehow from the outside, by shelling.
He claimed that the dam was mined by the Russian occupiers, alleging that Russians blew it up, saying Russia detonated a bomb of mass environmental destruction, largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades, making them most dangerous terrorist in the world.