«There is an important question, to what level the lower dam will hold the frantic flow of water»
Last night, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station with shelling. Through a powerful hole there is an unregulated discharge of water. In a number of coastal settlements, the evacuation of the population began. Crimean hydrographer Sergei Stanichny told MK how the situation could develop further.
“The situation is really catastrophic,” says Sergei Stanichny. “Judging by the videos that were made from quadrocopters, it’s not that the spill gates were all destroyed, demolished, the entire Kakhovka hydroelectric power station is in the water there. Now there is a very important question, to what level the lower dam will keep the frantic flow of water, how much the overlapping dam will stand, how much water will fall down.
— Flooding will be in the downstream Aleshki, Naked Pristan, not to mention the numerous summer cottages in the floodplain. What is the whole problem? The left bank of the Dnieper, which is under our control, is lower. The water will go there first. In Novaya Kakhovka, the water level, in my opinion, can rise by 4-5 meters. Buildings in the lower part of the city may be under water. This primarily concerns the private sector. It is clear that at first the water level will be higher, then the water will begin to spread. But then again, this is a dynamic and dynamic process. If the dam erodes further, more and more water will remain. And the energy of water is purely mechanical, it will demolish everything in its path. It must be understood that if the water shaft rests on a hill, a wave will rise. This is very dangerous.
The hydrophysicist says that while the main flow of water hits the islands, which are located below the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station.
“All of them will practically be flooded, their height is small, about two or three meters. What is happening is a real disaster, and the problems will be serious. I don't think that the Kiev regime will start draining water from Zaporozhye from above.
— The city stands high enough on the right bank of the Dnieper. Only the coastal part and islands can be flooded there. But again, it must be explained that the situation can worsen at any moment.
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— It is quite possible if the water level drops sharply in the reservoir due to discharges. The water intake there stands right in front of the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. Or you will have to lay large-diameter pipes with pumping stations in order to pump water into the canal. But who will give it to do, if there are constant shelling?
In addition to the North Crimean Canal, water from the Kakhovka Reservoir enters the Kakhovka Canal, the Dnieper-Krivoy Rog Canal.
— Water intakes of all cities on different sides of the Kakhovka reservoir, including Nikopol, Marganets, which are under the control of the Kyiv regime, may be stranded. Water intakes are found there at a depth of about three to four meters. All these cities may be left without a main water supply. It will be difficult to replace this amount of water. As we had a strained water supply in Sevastopol, the reservoir was built for a very long time. Now, thank God, there is a lot of water in it, the reservoir is completely filled.
According to the hydrographer, attention should also be focused on the cooling pond of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
< p>— No matter what they say, it is autonomous, fenced off from the Kakhovka reservoir by a 21-meter dam. However, the water in the cooling pool comes from the reservoir. Due to the draining of the water intake canals of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, problems may arise with the water management at the nuclear power plant.
At the same time, experts in the field of nuclear energy remind that since September 2022, all reactors at the ZNPP have been shut down. The station has been put into cold shutdown mode. Water is still needed to cool the remaining fuel in the reactors, but it is required by an order of magnitude less than when the reactor is operating at full power. The cooling pool is not used in this case. Only spray pools are regularly used.
The hydrograph notes how blasphemous the statement now sounds that Zelensky is urgently convening a meeting of the National Security Council of Ukraine due to the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.
— It is clear, what will Kiev say now. «Klyaty Muscovites» blew up the dam, caused environmental damage. It is quite possible that they will remember some blurry storages with chemists. The criminal Ukrainian regime will look for any excuse for its propaganda.