Responding to the Kakhovka dam emergency

The destruction of the Kakhovka dam on 6 June resulted in the extensive flooding of settlements in the region. Tens of thousands of people in areas controlled by the Government of Ukraine have reportedly been impacted by the flooding, with about 3,000 having been evacuated or having left the area, while some 700,000 lack access to safe drinking water.

A collective humanitarian response

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is contributing to the collective humanitarian response to the emergency, under the leadership of the Government and local authorities, and the UN Humanitarian Coordinator. In the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, UNHCR has delivered  jerry cans, hygiene kits and bedding (beds, mattresses, blankets, bed linen) to displaced and affected communities. Further humanitarian aid has been dispatched to Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
On 9 and 10 June, UNHCR, as part of an inter-agency convoy delivered essential items such as jerry cans, solar lamps and tarpaulins to people in Bilozerka and Ostriv in Khersonska oblast.

Working with local partners

UNHCR’s local partners quickly responded to the unfolding emergency. "When the emergency began, we quickly started providing support to people arriving in Mykolaiv. We immediately created two multi-function teams including a lawyer, a psychologist, and a housing specialist to provide information and services to people who evacuated”, says Serhii Voitovsky, local NGO Tenth of April Coordinator of the response in Mykolaiv.
Working closely with local partners, UNHCR also scaled up cash assistance for people affected by the floods to help buy food, medicines and other needs.  In Kherson and Mykolaiv, to where people evacuated from the flooding are being brought to safety, psychosocial support as well as legal counselling and assistance is being provided by local partner NGO Tenth of April at bus and train stations for those arriving. Collective centres, where people evacuated can be provided with temporary accommodation, are being assessed and prepared.

“As the needs continue to rise, it is important for us to respond quickly. For example, this week the Ministry of Infrastructure requested 120 beds for the humanitarian hub in Mykolaiv to increase the reception capacity. The following day, we delivered these beds,” explains Pierre Camara, UNHCR Senior Field Coordinator.
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Next steps

The vast majority of people are hoping that they will be able to return home when the water recedes. This is when the second part of this emergency will unfold. Estimates indicate that some 3,000 houses have been damaged by the flood waters. Communal utilities will need to be repaired, including access to drinking water. Agricultural land has also been polluted and mines have been dislodged and displaced requiring further demining before settlements are safe for return.

UNHCR and partner agencies are currently carrying out a damage assessment to understand the scale of the impact of the flooding. However, access to the area remains extremely challenging due to the extensive flooding and serious risk of floating landmines in the areas affected.
The war continues to bring enormous suffering and devastation to the people of Ukraine. UNHCR and its partners are determined to continue to support authorities in responding to the needs on the ground.