The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on 6 June 2023 has caused widespread devastation and human suffering. The overall impact on water supplies, sanitation and sewage systems, and health services cannot be underestimated.
The severe flooding downstream has displaced thousands of people and destroyed vital infrastructure including roads, electricity lines, agricultural land, health facilities and private homes. The environmental damage alone could take years to fix, with potentially hazardous agricultural chemicals seeping into the water supply. Flooding in a highly industrialized zone poses the risk of additional chemical releases into water, which could severely impact people and animals for years to come. The floods are also believed to have dislodged unexploded mines.
The Kakhovka Reservoir served as a crucial water source for numerous major cities in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, and many smaller cities and settlements. The destruction of the Dam has disrupted or contaminated water supplies in all of these places, and affected households, municipal networks and agricultural irrigation systems in Kherson and Crimea as well. Some areas have been left with no electricity or potable water. Hospitals remain open and are offering services, but accessibility is a serious issue given the extensive flooding.
Together with partners, WHO is working urgently on the humanitarian response in the affected areas to meet people's immediate and ongoing health needs. In the short term, there is a significant risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, and rodent-borne diseases such as leptospirosis and tularaemia. In the medium to long term, WHO is concerned about the lasting physical and mental health impacts on affected communities, the environmental harm caused by the floods, and damage to health facilities, which may reduce access to essential and specialized services such as renal dialysis and cancer care.
WHO’s response
WHO is in the regions affected by the disaster to support Ukrainian health authorities and health workers to contain the health consequences of flooding. This includes delivery of essential medicines to hospitals serving the affected population, disease surveillance, and rapid assessment of mental health and other emerging needs.
WHO’s rapid response is focusing on the following 5 priority areas.
- Communicable disease prevention and control: Together with local health authorities, WHO is strengthening surveillance of waterborne diseases such as cholera, legionellosis and E. coli infection by conducting situation analyses and rapid risk assessments, providing laboratory test kits, and conducting media monitoring to quickly pick up alerts on water quality issues. No cholera cases have been reported thus far. As part of its ongoing efforts to address potential health risks, WHO provided cholera kits to Kherson and neighbouring regions in April and May 2023; this preventive support can be deployed to immediately control isolated cases of disease if they occur.
- Direct mental health support: WHO teams are assessing mental health needs and will develop recommendations based on the data gathered.
- Noncommunicable and chronic disease care: In collaboration with United Nations partners, WHO is actively engaged in joint convoys to provide essential support. Enough medicines and medical products to treat 3000 people for noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes and heart diseases, have now been distributed. In the coming days, additional supplies to increase access to health services, particularly for those with chronic noncommunicable diseases, will be delivered.
- Risk communication and community engagement: WHO has been sharing information on how to stay safe during floods. Together with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, WHO has developed materials on acute infections such as cholera and botulism, water treatment, and food safety.
- Partner coordination: WHO is the Health Cluster lead agency in Ukraine. The Health Cluster has presence in Kherson oblast through 24 partners, including 3 United Nations agencies, that are active in 90 settlements. Together they are implementing health interventions, including through mobile teams, for tuberculosis and HIV, mental ill health, noncommunicable diseases, and more.
In addition, WHO-supported national Emergency Medical Teams, which are run together with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health and the Center for Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine, are prepared to assist civilians with a range of urgent medical needs.
WHO and its United Nations partners continue to support Ukrainian authorities in monitoring all potential environmental risks, including chemical and nuclear hazards.
How to stay safe
Floodwater and standing water pose significant risks to human health. Drowning, injuries and hypothermia are direct health risks from flooding, but broader risks range from animal bites to water- and foodborne diseases to mental health problems.
WHO is working with Ukrainian health authorities and partners to provide affected people with health information and advice on how to stay safe in the aftermath of flooding, including how to:
- avoid drowning, injuries and hypothermia
- prevent or treat animal bites and diseases transmitted by rodents and mosquitoes
- seek medical care
- ensure water and food are safe
- deal with dead animals
- return home safely
- access trusted information and sources of advice.
Complete public health advice on how to protect health during flooding can be found here.
In the context of the current war in Ukraine, people are also advised not to approach or touch objects that are unfamiliar or look like mines or ammunition. The floods can dislodge mines and unexploded ammunition, which can then drift and explode spontaneously.
WHO continues to regularly monitor the situation, including the health needs of the population.