Water level near Kherson continues to drop

MOSCOW. June 22 (Interfax) - The water level continues to decrease gradually in the Kiev-controlled part of the Kherson region on Thursday morning, falling by two centimeters to the 0.15 meter mark since the beginning of the day, Ukrainian media said, citing the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

Three populated localities (214 houses) remain flooded in the Kiev-controlled right bank of the Dnieper, and 17 populated localities are flooded in the Dnieper's left bank, which Kiev does not control, the service said.

Rescuers of the State Emergency Service have pumped more than 21,400 tonnes of water from 71 basements and houses in the past day, and over 195,000 tonnes of water from 699 houses and basements since the start of the cleanup effort. More than 21 tonnes of drinking water have been delivered to local residents over the past day, and over 575 tonnes since the start of the cleanup operation.

Media outlets also said, citing head of the Kherson region's military administration Alexander Prokudin, that flood waters have receded from more than 3,000 houses on the right bank, where restoration efforts are now starting.

"We are starting restoration. Explosives experts are examining the territory, specialists are repairing damaged infrastructure, utility workers and rescuers are clearing debris and are pumping water from flooded buildings," Prokudin said on social media.

"Waters have receded from 1,300-1,600 meters of the banks. The Dnieper has almost returned to its banks that it had 70 years ago," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Ukraine's Interior Minister Igor Klimenko as saying in a social media post.

All necessary calculations are now being done that help forecast the population's water needs and the capacity of the Dnieper River basin, Klimenko said.

Both drinking and technical water remains an urgent necessity in the cleanup operation zone in the wake of the Kakhovka dam incident, he said.

"It is being delivered now. But the authorities are doing all they can to conduct geological research and to put wells into operation as soon as possible," he said.

Ten drinking water purification stations are also operating in the cleanup effort zone. The available resources are sufficient to provide the population with drinking water for at least a month.