Main task is to organise evacuation and sheltering of people in safe areas – results of the State Commission meeting
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal chaired an extraordinary meeting of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies to discuss the consequences of russia’s blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam.
“Today, at approximately three o’clock in the morning, russian terrorists blew up the dam and the machine rooms of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. The dam has been destroyed and water is flowing out of the Kakhovka Reservoir. A meeting of the National Security and Defence Council was held under the chairmanship of the President of Ukraine. The situation is complicated, and we need to take quick decisions and actions at all levels,” said Denys Shmyhal.
According to the Prime Minister, the first and foremost task is to organise the evacuation and sheltering of people in safe areas. All emergency services of Kherson region have been put on alert. Additional units have been formed. More than 250 vehicles have been deployed. Local leaders are personally responsible for the entire process. According to the Kherson Regional Military Administration, 17 de-occupied settlements in Kherson region with a population of over 17,000 people are subject to evacuation as a result of the blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP. No casualties have been reported so far.
The Head of Government instructed ministries to provide Ukrzaliznytsia with all the necessary capacity to continue organising evacuation trains. Regional administrations that can accommodate people should provide them with up-to-date information.
Denys Shmyhal stressed that it was also important to avoid the worst-case scenario that could lead to an emergency at Zaporizhzhia NPP.
“The plant is currently out of operation. All units are offline. The management of Energoatom and all services must control the situation to the fullest extent possible. As long as russian terrorist troops are present at ZNPP, it is a risk for the entire humanity,” the Prime Minister stressed.
The Head of Government emphasised that all agencies were working to provide people with drinking water. Under the supervision of the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, the water supply companies are to organise and ensure the supply of water. In addition, decisions are being prepared to allocate funds for the implementation of projects to provide drinking water to certain settlements.
“The Ministry of Infrastructure has a number of proposals and has prepared project solutions. We need to allocate all the necessary funds in a fast-track procedure in order to start implementing these projects as soon as possible,” the Head of Government noted, instructing that all the necessary draft laws be prepared and submitted without delay in order to organise the design work for projects to supply settlements with drinking water.
According to the Prime Minister, the environmental impact of the disaster is being assessed. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources is to prepare the relevant data in the near future.
The members of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies heard information on the consequences of the blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
According to Ukrhydroenergo, the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP does not affect the operation of other plants. At the same time, the Ministry of Energy has been instructed to work with the European Commission to increase electricity export and import capacity and to take measures to increase water reserves at other hydropower plants.