Emergency Response to the Humanitarian Crisis Caused by the Destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam
Published: Jun 14, 2023 Reading time: 3 minutes
The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine on Tuesday 6 June has put thousands of civilian lives in danger. The consequences forced many people to flee their homes. On the day following the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, we delivered 97,944 litres of drinking water to people living in Novokairy and three other villages in Kherson Oblast. We also provided support to people who had to evacuate to the western regions of Ukraine because of the flooding.
Despite heavy rains and thunderstorms, local authorities and humanitarians continue to evacuate people and support affected communities; however, the weather conditions are hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance and are expected to worsen the impact of the dam's destruction. According to the regional administration, as of the morning of 12 June, 3,801 houses were flooded in 32 settlements on the right bank of the Dnipro River. There are also 540 submerged households in Mykolaiv Oblast. In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the situation is particularly dire; according to local authorities, more than 160,000 people are without water.
Novokairy, a small village in the Mylivska Hromada, is now on the verge of survival after the dam was blown up. On 8 June, we delivered 20,736 litres of drinking water to the village, thanks to financial support from the European Union and the EU's Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid programme.
As part of the same support programme, our team delivered drinking water to three more settlements in Kherson Oblast: 26,484 litres were delivered to Novooleksandrivka; 10,368 litres to Kachkarivka; and 41,976 litres to Novovorontsovka.
The destruction of the dam has triggered a new wave of evacuations. According to the Ukrainian Government, the number of people seeking shelter has already increased to more than 2,700, including 190 children and nearly 80 people with limited mobility. Some of these people are met daily at the Lviv railway station by our staff, psychologists, and volunteers from the foundation "Kryla Nadiyi".
"People in Need" supports families who arrive at the Lviv railway station fleeing shelling and flooding. Now, thanks to the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund's financial support, we can provide each evacuee with a travel kit containing food and hygiene items necessary for travellers. Since 1 March 2023, 5,500 people affected by the war have received such assistance. In addition, we provide quality psychological support. Every day, adults and children receive consultations from professional psychologists at both the evacuation point in Lviv and on our round-the-clock psychological support hotline: 0800210160.
