Experts: Vegetable, horticultural industry in southern Ukraine may disappear due to Kakhovka HPP explosion

According to Ukrinform, EastFruit reported this.

It is noted that the Kakhovka Reservoir was the main source of water for one of Europe's largest irrigation systems. It was the southern regions of Ukraine that provided wheat, corn, sunflowers and sunflower oil, soybeans and soybean grist to the countries of the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Also, water from this irrigation system made it possible to grow up to 80% of all vegetables in Ukraine and a significant percentage of fruits and grapes.

Almost all of Ukraine's heat tolerant fruits were grown based on irrigation from the Kakhovka Reservoir. The main summer greenhouse facilities that provide the population of Ukraine and Moldova with affordable tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, and peppers were also located along the branches of the Kakhovka irrigation system.

According to EastFruit, today it is impossible to grow almost any agricultural products, especially fruits and vegetables, in this region without irrigation. An average of about 400 mm of precipitation falls here annually, with the bulk of it falling in the winter, outside the growing season. Such a scanty amount of precipitation is typical for deserts. The undermining of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam turns Ukraine's south into a desert.

In addition, this terrorist act will contribute to the transformation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea into a desert that is not only unsuitable for agriculture, but also for human life in general.

Without water from the Dnipro River, which the peninsula is now guaranteed not to receive for at least the next 10 years, seawater is gradually penetrating the aquifers. Today, in many Crimean cities, wells 800 meters deep and more, which are used to supply the population with water, already have excessive levels of salt content. This water continues to be supplied to the population, although it is not suitable for drinking or even for household needs. Household appliances are already failing on a massive scale. Similarly, such water is completely unsuitable for irrigation of Crimea’s lands.

Experts believe that it will be especially important for Ukrainian farmers to develop technologies for growing and refining vegetables, such as onions, carrots, green crops, etc., in the central regions of Ukraine, where there is access to water and irrigation systems. Otherwise, in the coming years, Ukraine will have to forget not only about exporting vegetables, but also about the possibility of self-sufficiency in vegetable products for the Ukrainian population, even in the summer.

As Ukrinform reported, Russian troops blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on the night of June 6. As a result of the explosion of the engine room from the inside, the station was completely destroyed. As of 9:00 am on June 6, the water level in the reservoir is decreasing. Evacuations have begun from potential flood areas.