Level of surface water pollution after terrorist attack at Kakhovka HPP is decreasing – Ministry of Health

The level of sea and river water pollution after the flooding and destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant has decreased and is about 15%.

In the first days after the terrorist attack, sanitary indicators did not meet the standards in approximately 35% of cases, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine reports.

"We note that the water is gradually being purified, but it still remains dangerous for swimming. Its use for economic purposes and for fishing from such reservoirs for further consumption is prohibited," said Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister, Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine.

He added that rotavirus, the causative agent of acute intestinal infections, had been found in the water. Therefore, the risks of infection and negative impact on health have not yet disappeared.

However, the Ministry of Health emphasised that the epidemiological situation in the regions affected by the dam explosion is under control. These are Odesa, Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts.

No outbreaks of acute infectious diseases, such as cholera, or viral hepatitis A, were detected in these areas.

Soil samples are also taken for testing. This is done by specialists from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health. They are carried out in areas where the water has receded completely after flooding.

"These tests allow us to determine the level of soil contamination. In particular, the presence of toxic substances in it and the level of parasitic contamination. As of the end of July, 91% of the samples met health requirements," explained the Ministry of Health.

Since 6 June, surface water bodies, both river and seawater, have been monitored daily. This applies to Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson Oblasts.

Immediately after the terrorist attack, 38 points for the selection and monitoring of water conditions were set up at the Kakhovka HPP.

Reminder:

• Previously, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health had issued information that water from Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant may become unusable due to the explosion at the Kakhovka HPP. 
• About 28,000 fish died in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast after the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP.

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