Kyiv: Destruction of Kakhovska HPP Caused Damage of 1.2 Billion Euros

The destruction of the Kakhovska hydroelectric power plant caused damage of one billion and 200 million euros, the Minister of Environmental Protection of Ukraine said, up to one million people were deprived of drinking water. Demolition and rebuilding of Ukraine's infrastructure will be discussed Wednesday and Thursday in London by leaders and representatives of 60 countries. The destruction of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric plant caused a 1 billion and 200 million euros of damage, Ukrainian Environment Minister Ruslan Strelets said Tuesday, and up to a million people were deprived of drinking water. Four villages in Kherson Region, on the right bank of the Dnieper River, remain flooded, the head of the regional military administration said. In the apartment of Alexander Mashukov, a resident of one of the flooded villages, the water rose more than 1.5 meters on the second day after the explosion of the Kakhovka dam. The pensioner was able to return home only a week later, when the water had receded; all this time he had to live with friends. Volunteers from all over Ukraine, particularly from Zaporizhzhya, help people from flooded areas. They bring and distribute humanitarian aid: clothes, food, hygiene products and medicines. In parallel, the evacuation of residents from 17 settlements in the left bank district of the Kherson region, which remain under water, continues. The breakdown of the Kakhovska hydroelectric power plant created another serious problem: the mines planted by the Russian army were displaced by flood waters to other areas. Farmers are forced to use drones to remove grass and detect and retrieve explosive devices. The event, which will be attended by the head of the European Commission, the U.S. secretary of state and the French foreign minister, aims to mobilize governments, businesses and major financial institutions. Ukraine’s immediate needs are estimated by the World Bank at as little as 13 billion euros, a more global economic recovery would cost 376.5 billion, according to a recent study by the World Bank, the United Nations, the European Union and the Ukrainian government. President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the conference via video link.