According to Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, farmers will not be able to fully use 1-1.5 million hectares of agricultural land as a result of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP) explosion.
“The consequences of stopping irrigation are much greater. Not half a million hectares, but a million and a half hectares will not be fully utilized. It takes 3-5-7 years to restore irrigation. This should be a priority. This is an environmental and agribusiness issue,” Solskyi said.
He noted that the Kakhovka Reservoir alone provided water to more than half a million hectares of land. Therefore, the problem of irrigation will become the biggest in agriculture.
The minister also said that the Kakhovka reservoir was the source for two irrigation and water supply systems (the Kakhovka system and the North Crimean Canal). These systems were built taking into account water levels to minimize the use of electricity for pumps. Now the water level has dropped, so water is simply not flowing to the irrigation systems. To raise it, the dam must be rebuilt. This is a problem for many years. (Ukrinform/Business World Magazine)
