The dam was destroyed on Tuesday, forcing thousands to flee their homes as water surged into the Dnipro River, flooding dozens of villages and parts of the capital Kherson and sparking fears of a humanitarian disaster.
Gear to be sent "as quickly as possible" includes 32 rescue boats, 15 water pumps and around 180 life jackets, the Dutch foreign trade and development ministry said in a statement.
"We are doing everything we can to help Ukraine in this. It's terrible what happened," Dutch development minister Liesje Schreinemacher said in the statement.
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of causing the breach, which on Thursday had left 600 square kilometres underwater, according to a regional governor.
The accusations were repeated at court hearings this week at the Hague-based International Court of Justice, the UN's highest legal body.
Judges are currently hearing a case brought by Kyiv over Russia's alleged backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine and the 2014 annexation of the Crimea.
NATO chief urges speedy Ukraine aid after dam breach
Brussels (AFP) June 8, 2023 -
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday urged members of the alliance to speed up humanitarian assistance to Ukraine after the destruction of a major dam.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba briefed NATO ambassadors via video link on the devastation caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which Kyiv blames on Russia.
Stoltenberg told the meeting that "the consequences for thousands of people and for the environment are dramatic, and he urged Allies to provide support expeditiously", NATO said in a statement.
"Allies expressed strong solidarity with Ukraine, and many are already providing critical aid, including water filters, pumps, generators, and shelter equipment," it said.
The destruction of the Russian-held dam has inundated 600 square kilometres and forced thousands to flee.
NATO countries -- headed by the United States -- have already provided Ukraine with weaponry worth tens of billions of dollars since Russia launched its all-out invasion last February.
Ukraine's backers will hold talks next Thursday at the NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss further arms deliveries to Kyiv.
NATO defence ministers are also expected to discuss support for Kyiv and the thorny issue of its bid to join the alliance at a separate two-day meeting.
Stoltenberg said the "importance of immediate, medium and long-term support to Ukraine" will be a "key topic" of the gatherings next week.
NATO members are wrangling over how to handle Ukraine's push for membership ahead of a summit of the alliance's leaders in Vilnius next month.
Kyiv -- and NATO countries in eastern Europe -- want it to be given a clear sign it will join when Russia's war ends.
But the United States and Germany are reluctant to go beyond a vague pledge made 15 years ago that Ukraine will become a member one day.
Diplomats are discussing if Ukraine could be given security guarantees short of joining NATO -- such as priority weapon supplies -- to prevent further Russian aggression when the conflict ends.
Ukrainian flood rescuers risk perilous journeys across front line
Kherson, Ukraine (AFP) June 8, 2023 -
Ukrainian rescuers have been venturing into Russian-held areas despite shelling as they search for residents stranded by massive flooding from a destroyed dam.
"We continue to save our people. And this includes getting people from occupied territories," a military press officer, Sergiy Sergeyev, told AFP.
"We know that there are Russian soldiers sitting on the roofs with no one to save them, but our priority is our people," he added.
The Dnipro River in southern Ukraine has formed the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces since Moscow's troops pulled out of the city of Kherson in November.
Despite Russia's retreat, the city has remained within reach of Moscow's weaponry, constantly threatening residents.
Shelling has slowed as the flood has made mortars unusable, Sergeyev said, but "evacuations sometimes take place under rocket fire".
The water has reached an average of 5.6 metres (18 feet) high, according to Ukrainian estimates, with 600 square kilometres of the Kherson region flooded.
"(The water) is two floors high, you can only survive on the roof," said Laura Musiyan, an employee from the Kherson meteorological agency.
Russian authorities reported five dead, while there was at least one death on the Ukrainian side.
- 'How can we live on?' -
Musiyan, waist-deep in the water that she was measuring, said its rise seemed to be slowing.
"If this trend continues, this will mean good news for people," she said.
Everyone at a rescue centre in Kherson was wondering when the water would stop coming in, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
Ukrainian officials estimated they would need to wait for at least another three days.
In the meantime, people gathered at the water's edge, some hoping to see their rescued pets.
"My cat has been in the apartment for three days without food, she must be dying," said Elena, 59, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed.
One of the people rescued, 65-year-old Tatyana Olmechenko, had to crawl through a broken window to reach the boat that came to rescue her after two days.
Stepping on land, she asked volunteers to check her pressure and feed her cat Klyusha.
"My apartment in Kherson was destroyed by shelling last year -- I moved to another flat and it was flooded," she told AFP.
"How can we live on?"
Ukraine dam destruction takes heavy environmental toll: NGOs
Paris (AFP) June 8, 2023 -
The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine is wreaking havoc on the environment with severe human consequences, experts say.
The dam was breached on Tuesday, forcing thousands to flee their homes as water surged into the Dnipro River, flooding dozens of villages and parts of the regional capital Kherson while sparking fears of a humanitarian disaster.
The environmental impact is grave, NGOs told AFP.
- 'Ecocide' -
Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of causing the breach.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was a "crime against humanity and an ecocide".
He called it "one of the most significant environmental catastrophes in Europe in recent decades" and accused Russia of detonating an "environmental bomb of mass destruction".
Earlier this year, Brussels paved the way for the recognition of "ecocide" in EU law.
- Risk to plants and animals -
After the release of 18 billion tonnes of water held back by the dam, ecosystems will suffer serious harm along the Dnipro, Europe's fourth-longest river.
The damage could extend to coastal areas of the Black Sea that might be temporarily desalinated in some areas, according to the Ukrainian NGO Ecoaction.
It warned of a potential "mass mortality" threatening fish, molluscs, crustaceans, microorganisms, aquatic plants and rodents. Some of these species are found only in the region and are already at risk.
The NGO also warned of a "deterioration in water quality due to the decomposition of dead organisms".
The Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group said the consequences for wildlife would be felt over an area of at least 5,000 square kilometres (almost 2,000 square miles).
"Some species may have suffered a greater blow in one day on June 6 than in the last 100 years," it said.
The group added that it could take a decade to make up for the impact on fish, and that some nesting birds would disappear from the area.
Domestic and captive animals are also in danger, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
"Shelters are already overwhelmed by requests for rescue," said Natalia Gozak, an IFAW official in Ukraine.
A zoo in flood-hit Nova Kakhovka has been completely inundated, Gozak said: "All the animals, except the swans, are dead."
Upstream, vegetation "will die as a result of drainage... while downstream areas will be flooded, including steppe and forest zones not adapted to flooding, leading to their waterlogging and destruction", Ecoaction warned.
Several of Ukraine's national parks, including the UNESCO-listed Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, are also directly threatened.
- Pollution -
Widespread pollution from the dam's breach is expected due to rubbish, agrochemicals, hazardous materials and the damage to wastewater treatment and sewage systems.
Ukrainian officials said Tuesday that 150 tonnes of engine oil had spilled into the Dnipro, with the risk of a further leakage of more than 300 tonnes. Zelensky said it posed "a threat to the unique flora and fauna."
Pollution is expected to reach the Black Sea and could affect organisms from plankton to dolphins.
- Flooding and water shortages -
Over 40,000 people are in danger of being flooded, Ukraine's prosecutor general Andriy Kostin warned Tuesday as he announced mass evacuations.
The damage is also likely to affect agriculture and livestock farming, sparking fears of a humanitarian disaster. Ukraine is one of the world's main suppliers of grain.
The Kakhovka dam provided drinking water and irrigation for southern Ukraine, one of the driest parts of the country, and its destruction represents a major risk to the water supply of millions of people.
IFAW said the water shortage could leave some areas parched.
"The rotting biomass of aquatic flora and fauna will be transformed into arid land, or even desert, in the coming months," Gozak said.
The damage will alter microclimates and temperatures, Gozak added, and could spark a wave of migration to other regions of Ukraine and Europe.
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