UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the destruction of Kakhovka dam for hydroelectric plant generation in the Kherson region of Ukraine is a "monumental humanitarian, economic and environmental catastrophe." Guterres affirmed in a statement the need to work to ensure accountability and respect for international humanitarian law.
"Above all, I appeal for a just peace, in line with the UN Charter, international law, and the resolutions of the General Assembly", he said.
He explained that the effects of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam affected Kherson city, Nova Kakhovka, and 80 other towns and villages along the Dnipro River, where massive floods and large-scale evacuations occurred as well as environmental destruction and damage to newly planted crops.
The UN Secretary-General added that this incident added to the threats to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant (ZNPP), which he said was highly endangered.
The UN and humanitarian partners were rushing support to the affected areas, including drinking water, purification tablets, "and other critical assistance," according to Guterres, who stressed that the UN organization will continue its work and appeals for safe humanitarian access to those affected.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian army announced the explosion of Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River, which is part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam in southern Ukraine.
For his part, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said in a briefing to the members of the UN Security Council, that the UN and its partners have expanded the scope of their operations to address the effects of the destruction of the Ukrainian Kakhovka dam, and that the emergency response is now underway to provide urgent aid to more than 16,000 people.
Griffiths said that the full extent of the disaster will become clear in the coming days. He said it was already clear that it would have "grave and far-reaching consequences for thousands of people in southern Ukraine, on both sides of the frontline, through the loss of homes, food, safe water and livelihoods." The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator described the incident as "a massive blow to a food production sector...already significantly damaged."
Source: Qatar News Agency