The war put the water reservoir of the Kharkiv region on the verge of ecological disaster

The war put the water reservoir of the Kharkiv region on the verge of ecological disaster facebook.com/prihdkoartem
Katerina Belousova

In July 2022, almost 2 million fish died in the reservoir

In the Kharkiv region, the Oskil reservoir, located in the Izyum and Kupyan districts, was on the verge of an ecological disaster.

Russian troops destroyed the dam and the water flowed into the Svirskyi Donets River, causing the water level in the reservoir to drop 6 times, ecoactivist Artem Prykhodko reports on Facebook.

He said that before the full-scale invasion, the volume of water in the reservoir reached 474.3 million cubic meters, and the area was 122.6 km2.

"The Oskil reservoir was one of the most popular places for vacationers and fishermen in the Kharkiv region," noted Prykhodko.

facebook.com/prihdkoartem

facebook.com/prihdkoartem

facebook.com/prihdkoartem

The eco-activist emphasized that nearly 2 million fish, including valuable species, were killed due to the detonation of the dam in July 2022 and the shallowing of the reservoir.

He also noted that a significant area of ​​the bottom of the reservoir has been exposed and is subject to wind erosion.

Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that due to constant shelling by Russian troops, the dam of the Oskil reservoir was destroyed, and as a result, the water level in the reservoir dropped to a critical level. The amount of damage was more than 287.3 million hryvnias.

As EcoPolitic previously reported, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strilets said that damage from Russian aggression to the environment of Kharkiv region reached 83 billion UAH. This is only a third of the cases that eco-inspectors were able to analyze and evaluate.

Related
There has not been enough rain to fill the rivers in the Lviv region: the low water levels persist
There has not been enough rain to fill the rivers in the Lviv region: the low water levels persist

If the situation does not improve, restrictions on water abstraction limits may be extended

Contaminated water from the combat zone threatens to poison the aquifers
Contaminated water from the combat zone threatens to poison the aquifers

Wells in communities near the front line are under threat, but the pollution could spread as far as the Dnipro

27 September – World Rivers Day
27 September – World Rivers Day

This is an opportunity to draw attention to the pollution and overuse of water bodies

Up to 50 years to recover: dolphins in the Black Sea face extinction due to the war
Up to 50 years to recover: dolphins in the Black Sea face extinction due to the war

The ‘Tuzly Estuaries’ National Park wants to establish a marine reserve so that the population can recover in safety