Crimean authorities do not see epidemiological risks to Crimea from Kherson region flooding just yet

ROSTOV-ON-DON. June 21 (Interfax) - There is no threat of infection on the Crimean coastline as a result of the Kakhovka Hydropower Plant dam collapse and flooding in the Kherson region at this point, head of the Crimean State Council Vladimir Konstantinov said.

"There is no threat for now [...] Nikolayev and the region are at risk in the first turn. However, we cannot rule this out and should stay alert. Especially now, at the peak of summer, when bacteria tend to spread," Konstantinov told reporters on Wednesday.

Valves and other elements of the Kakhovka HPP's surface infrastructure were destroyed in the early hours of June 6, causing an uncontrolled discharge of the Dnieper's water downstream from the Kakhovka reservoir in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Moscow blamed Ukraine for the accident, and launched an inquiry into an act of terrorism.

The water level climbed to 12 meters in riverside populated localities in the Kherson region, and 8,000 residents in Novaya Kakhovka, Alyoshki and Golaya Pristan required evacuation. An emergency was declared. Forty one people have died in the aftermath of the incident, according to updated information.

The Kakhovka HPP operated since the 1950s. It regulated the Dnieper's water flow for the purpose of power generation, irrigation and water supply to arid regions of southern Ukraine, as well as navigation between Kherson and Zaporozhye. It is where the North Crimean Canal, which provides the peninsula with water from the Dnieper, begins.