Water level in Kiev-controlled part of Kherson region decreasing - administration
MOSCOW. June 14 (Interfax) - The average water level in the part of the Kherson region controlled by Kiev decreased by 2.45 meters as of 9:00 p.m. Tuesday, with 45 settlements still flooded, including 28 on the right bank and 17 on the left bank of the Dnieper River, Ukrainian media reported citing a bulletin by the Kiev-appointed Kherson regional military administration.
As many as 3,103 houses on the right bank are still flooded in the wake of the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant's dam, it said.
Earlier reports said that the water level in the Dnieper near Kherson decreased by 3 meters from the maximum and was 2.6 meters above the normal level as of the morning of June 13.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources said on Tuesday morning that the water level was decreasing by 1-5 centimeters each hour.
The ministry said its services were constantly monitoring water and air quality and did not record significantly higher concentrations of pollutants at the water intake sites in the Dnieper.
Ukrainian media reported on Wednesday, citing the Ukrhydroenergo company, that the Kakhovka reservoir has already lost about 70% of its water, based on preliminary estimates. "Due to a sharp drop in the water levels in the Dnieper HPP's downstream, the plant's hydropower units are operating with restrictions," the company said.
As the PJSC said, a steady decline in water intensity by about 2-5 centimeters per hour is currently ongoing in a section of the Kherson gauge.
"The water levels fell by 0.58 meters over the past 24 hours and stand at 2.38 meters as of 10 a.m. on June 14. The overall drop from the maximum level of 10.74 meters above the zero level of the gauge as of 3 a.m. on June 8, is 3.30 meters," the hydropower engineers said.
In their forecasts, the water levels downstream the Kakhovka HPP will continue to drop by about 1-10 centimeters per hour throughout the day with the flooding remaining in place.
