The World Bank (WB) will assess the damage caused by the explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP dam. This was announced on June 7 by the WB Managing Director for Operations Anna Bjerde.
“The destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP has many very serious consequences for the provision of basic services, as well as for the environment in general,” she wrote on her Twitter account.
Bjerde noted that the World Bank will support Ukraine by conducting a “quick assessment” of the consequences of the explosion.
According to her, the assessment will be based on the results of recent WB studies on the situation in Ukraine.
The breakthrough of the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station occurred on the night of June 6, because of this, an uncontrolled discharge of water began. As a result, dozens of settlements were in the flood zone. In Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson region, the water level reached 12 m. The station itself was almost completely submerged.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the reaction of Western countries in this situation is predictable, as countries are driven by the desire to blame Moscow for everything that happens, “regardless of whether it actually happened or is a figment of the imagination.” The diplomat also added that the situation with the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station should become the object of worldwide study and investigation.
The US administration did not name those responsible for the explosion of the hydroelectric power station and referred to the collection of data related to the incident. US President Joe Biden responded to a request for comment on the situation with a promise to provide assistance to Ukraine.
Employees of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) arrived in Kherson to assess the situation with the destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. According to the representative of the UN Secretary General Stefan Dujarric, members of five more agencies and non-governmental organizations also arrived in Kherson.
UN Deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths stressed that the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station would have severe long-term consequences for both participants in the Ukrainian conflict.
The Kakhovskaya HPP is the sixth and lowest station on the Dnieper, and is part of the unified energy system of Ukraine. It is located five kilometers from the city of Novaya Kakhovka, Kherson region, which since September 30, 2022 became part of Russia following a referendum. The waters of the Kakhovka reservoir feed the arid regions of the Kherson region and the Crimean peninsula.
