Rapid Environmental Assessment of Kakhovka Dam Breach Ukraine, 2023

Rapid Environmental Assessment ofKakhovka Dam BreachUkraine, 2023 Rapid Environmental Assessment ofKakhovka Dam Breach Ukraine, 2023 © 2023 United Nations Environment Programme ISBN:978-92-807-4074-5 Job Number:DEP/2573/NA This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit serviceswithout special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. TheUnited Nations Environment Programme would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses thispublication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or any other commercial purposewhatsoever without prior permission in writing from the United Nations Environment Programme. Applicationsfor such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to theDirector, Communication Division, United Nations Environment Programme, unep-communication-director@un.org. Disclaimers The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expressionof any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of anycountry, territory or city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Mention of a commercial company or product in this document does not imply endorsement by the UnitedNations Environment Programme or the authors. The use of information from this document for publicity oradvertising is not permitted. Trademark names and symbols are used in an editorial fashion with no intentionon infringement of trademark or copyright laws. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of theUnited Nations Environment Programme. We regret any errors or omissions that may have been unwittinglymade. © Maps, photos and illustrations as specified Cover photos:Top photo: Alexander Khodosovtsev. Bottom photo: KEYSTONE/ AP Photo Suggested citation:United Nations Environment Programme (2023). Rapid Environmental Assessment ofKakhovka Dam Breach; Ukraine, 2023. Nairobi, Kenya. Production:Nairobi, Kenya Acknowledgements This report was authored by a group of experts from the following organisations: DHI Slovakia, Federal Ministryfor the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection of the Federal Republicof Germany, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Ministry of Infrastructure and WaterManagement of the Netherlands, HKV, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, Swiss Agency for Developmentand Cooperation, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, United Nations DevelopmentProgramme, United Nations Environment Programme and the United States Geological Survey. This reportincludes and builds on the analysis of multiple partners, notably UN agencies, European Commission’s JointResearch Centre and UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology with HR Wallingford. The following partners supported the deployment of expertise for the assessment: •UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit•UNEP-DHI Centre on Water & Environment•(European) Union Civil Protection Mechanism•Dutch Disaster Risk Reduction and Surge Support Programme (DRRS), commissioned by the DutchGovernment and with support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands The full list of authors, contributors and reviewers is provided in Annex I. Financial support from Japan and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) toproduce this report is gratefully acknowledged. Editor of publication: Amanda Lawrence-Brown (UNEP) Designer of publication: Ahmad Reza Amiri UNEP is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda. The organisationpromotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within theUN system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEP is keeping the environmentunder review by providing policy advice, early warning information and promoting international cooperation. It isunder this mandate and at the request of the government of Ukraine, that UNEP has undertaken this preliminaryanalysis of the environmental impacts of the Kakhovka dam breach, which occurred in June 2023. Abbreviations Abbreviations “The environment is always a casualty of war. Always. Regardless of howwars begin or end. And when the environment is a casualty of war, peoplesuffer long after the conflict has ended.” Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director Table of Contents AcknowledgmentsiiiKey MessagesixExecutive Summaryxi [ 1 ]Introduction1-2 3-9 [ 2 ]Context 2.1.History and characteristics of the Kakhovka dam42.2.War in Ukraine52.3.Kakhovka dam breach62.4.UNEP assessment82.5.Scope of the environmental assessment8 [ 3 ]Findings10-62 Table of Contents3.1.Hydrological impacts113.1.1.Water discharge123.1