Ukraine: 150 tons of oil were dumped in the Dnipro River

At least 150 metric tons of oil from the dam leaked into the Dnipro River due to the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which took place on Tuesday (6). The information was supplied by the Ukrainian Minister of the Environment, Ruslan Strilets. According to him, the environmental damage was estimated at 50 million euros (about R$ 260 million.

An environmental expert warned of the potential damage the oil spill could cause. “Just 1 liter of oil can contaminate 1 million liters of water. So 150 tonnes will have numerous impacts on Ukrainian water resources and the environment,” said Yevheniia Zasiadko, head of the Climate Department at Ecoaction, a non-profit organization based in Kiev. “The oil spreads over the surface in a thin layer that prevents oxygen from reaching the plants and animals that live in the water,” she said.

Since the announcement of the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, there have been fears of an ecological catastrophe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the situation as “an environmental bomb of mass destruction”. “The consequences of the tragedy will become clear within a week. When the water runs out, it will be clear what is left and what will happen next,” he said.

Concerns are now focused on dangers to wildlife, farms, settlements and water supplies from flooding and possible contamination from industrial chemicals and leaked oil from the hydroelectric plant on the Dnipro River.

The two countries traded accusations over the dam’s destruction, without providing concrete evidence that the other is guilty. It remains unclear whether the dam was deliberately attacked or whether the failure was the result of structural failure.

(Published by Fábio Mendes, with information from CNN and Reuters)