Due to the critical risk of flooding of drinking water wells and agricultural land, the Cabinet of Ministers will allocate 49.4 million UAH for the repair of one of the hydraulic structures in the Odesa region.
This was announced by the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture.
Funds for urgent emergency repair works will be drawn from the state budget’s reserve fund on a non-repayable basis.
“The condition of the protective embankment requires an urgent response. The allocated funding will enable emergency repair works to begin promptly and prevent the occurrence of a man-made emergency. This is primarily about the safety of Izmail’s residents and the protection of areas located near the Danube,” said Vitaliy Kindrativ, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.
A long-standing problem
The media outlet “Suspilne” specifies that this concerns the protective dam at the 97-kilometre mark of the Danube. Back in March, Rodion Abashev, head of the Izmail District State Administration, reported that the structure was in a critical condition.
The dam had been deteriorating for some time. As early as 2021, it was known that its foundations were being eroded by the river’s current.
The Worst-Case Scenario
If the structure fails, the region’s water security will be at risk. The flooding threatens artesian wells that provide drinking water to nearly 100,000 residents of the city of Izmail, as well as the villages of Matroska and Broska.
Approximately five thousand hectares of agricultural land in the Safiany community could also be threatened by flooding.
EcoPolitic previously reported that the authorities decided to forcibly fill several water bodies at the Danube Delta. Along with other measures, this is part of a plan to prevent a water crisis in this arid region.
