It is with great regret that we must state that the Russian occupation army continues to commit crimes against humanity on the territory of Ukraine. During the flight of Russian troops to the right bank of the Dnieper river in the fall of 2022, they partially blew up the dam of the Kakhovska hydroelectric power station, and on the night of June 5-6, 2023 the dam located on the territory temporarily controlled by Russians, was completely blown up.
According to EastFruit analysts, the explosion of the dam of the Kakhovska hydroelectric power station is not only an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe that will lead to flooding of vast territories and many towns, but it is also a bigger crime against the food security of the world.
The fact is that it was the Kakhovka reservoir that was the heart of one of the largest irrigation systems in Europe. And it was the southern regions of Ukraine that provided wheat, corn, sunflower and sunflower oil, soybeans, and soybean meal to the countries of the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. Also, the water from this irrigation system made it possible to grow up to 80% of all vegetables in Ukraine and a significant percentage of fruits and grapes. Almost all warmer climate fruits of Ukraine such as peaches, apricots, cherries, grapes, etc. were grown based on irrigation from the Kakhovka reservoir. Most of the summer greenhouses, providing the population of Ukraine and Moldova with affordable tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, and peppers, were also located along the branches of the Kakhovka irrigation system.
Today, without irrigation, it is impossible to grow almost any agricultural product in this region, especially fruits and vegetables. The fact is that the region only gets around 400 mm of precipitation per annum and most of them in the winter period, i.e. outside the growing season. Such a meager amount of precipitation is typical for deserts, and the destruction the dam of the Kakhovska hydroelectric power station actually turns the south of the country into a desert.
In addition, this terrorist act guarantees the ongoing transformation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea into a desert not only unsuitable for agriculture, but also an unsuitable place for human life in principle.
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The fact is that without water from the Dnieper river, which now the peninsula is guaranteed not to receive, at least in the next 10 years, there is a gradual penetration of sea water into aquifers. At the moment, in many cities of the Crimea, wells with a depth of 800 meters or more, used to supply the population with water, already have an excessive level of salts. This water continues to be supplied to the population, although it is actually undrinkable and is not suitable even for the household needs. In particular, household appliances are already massively going out of order. Similarly, such water is completely unsuitable for irrigation in Crimea.
It will take at least 5-10 years to restore the dam and the irrigation system, and this will be possible only after the complete liberation of Ukraine from the invaders. At the same time, 5 years is an optimistic scenario, which will be extremely difficult to implement in practice, even if there are billions of dollars needed to restore the system.
Accordingly, the priority for Ukrainian farmers now would be to develop technologies for growing and handling vegetables, such as onions, carrots, salads, green crops, etc. in the central regions of Ukraine, where there is access to water for irrigation. Otherwise, in the coming years, Ukraine will have to forget not only about the export of vegetables, but also the possibility of self-sufficiency in vegetable products for the population of Ukraine, even in the summer months.
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