The facts, published on the Dnipro Public Forum on July 6-7, 2012 by specialists
and scientists of Ukraine and Belarus, have shown a continuous deterioration of the
hydrological regime throughout the basin, especially affecting the situation in Ukraine.
Given the global climate change, the catchment area of the basin has grown today and
in the conditions of free flow to the Black Sea, the Dnieper should make 63-67 billion
cubic meters of water - but the drainage in the sea is only 35-38 billion cubic meters.
Due to water abstraction for drinking and technical needs (up to 5-6 billion cubic
meters) and filtration processes in Kiev, Kanev, Kremenchug and Kakhovka reservoirs
(up to 25 billion cubic meters), the Dnipro with the dam cascade practically
"undermined" most of the adjacent territories and he himself became a marsh, where
natural biological productivity in the last 30 years has decreased by 32 times.
One of the first documents of official recognition of the deterioration of the
hydrogeological and socio-ecological situation in the region was the Decree of the
Council of Ministers of the USSR - No. 584-r of July 28, 1977 on liquidation of the
consequences of the flooding of Kherson and on August 28, 1978, No. 547-r on
liquidation of consequences of flooding of individual territories of Kherson and other
cities and settlements of the Kherson region - such in the corresponding application
was already 51 at that time. Up to date, the number of settlements in the Kherson
region, suffering from flooding and flooding I have reached 258.
The situation worsens every year, and the latest "realities of constantly progressing
manifestations of flooding" are demonstrated by the following Video Facts of recent
years (see Figure 1, 2, 3).
The natural conditions of the Kherson region and water-meliorative measures
determine the wide development of the flooding process. Over the past decades, the
process of flooding is actively developing and has reached a critical state capable of
leading to the withdrawal of large land masses from economic use.
Up to date, the area of flooded land in the Kherson region is 11300 km
2
, which is
39,7% of the area (and this is only according to official data). According to the research
data, the area of submerged lands in the region, depending on the critical level of
groundwater and their normative values, can reach 69%. The most affected by this
disaster are the territories of the south-western and north-western regions. The
determining factor in the development of the flooding process here is intensive and
long-term reclamation work, which was accompanied by external water supply and
construction of man-made water bodies. In addition, under the threat of flooding are
about 300 settlements and about 100 thousand hectares of agricultural land.
The process of development of underflooding is conditioned by two main factors:
- the degree of natural flooding (natural flooding and drainage)
- the degree of man-caused (water-economic) factor.
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