VIDEO Unraveling the Impact of the Kahovka Dam Burst on the Black Sea: Debunking Myths and Assessing the Worst-Case Scenarios; Specialist: „The Romanian coast is not a paradise, but for other reasons”

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An Associated Press analysis, published shortly after the war-torn Ukrainian Kahovka dam burst, argued that the episode represents an environmental disaster that will quickly evolve into a long-term environmental catastrophe. Volodimir Zelensky also speaks of „ecocide” and claims it is the biggest man-made environmental catastrophe in Europe in decades. What is the environmental impact in Ukraine? Is the sea near us affected by pollution? And how is the sea area near the dam affected? Does the Black Sea have the capacity to „self-clean”? And if so, how long will it take?

What’s the situation in Ukraine?

Geologist Adrian Stănică, director of the Romanian National Institute of Geology and Marine Geoecology – GeoEcoMar, explained to G4Media that no one has been able to make complex direct measurements analysing the quality of the environment downstream of the dam, and without these direct measurements no detailed analysis can be made:

• „We can only make estimates. Colleagues in Odessa have studied the effects of the dam bursting on the northern part of the Black Sea – but even they don’t yet have a comprehensive and complete picture. Analyses take a long time – and cost money. We can only talk about a complete picture when we have all the data. And that will take time,” he explained.
  Full interview here:

Stănică highlights that, from a comprehensive analysis of available information, it is known that the dam burst carried a massive volume of sediments downstream – containing various pollutants, organic matter, and all kinds of residues. The water laden with these sediments wiped out a significant portion of the ecosystems characteristic of the lower course of the Dnieper River and its estuary up to the Black Sea, explains Adrian Stănică.

• „So, I believe we must consider the Dnieper-Black Sea system as a whole, not just the Black Sea itself. Regarding the Dnieper, the destruction of numerous human settlements and specific ecosystems is substantial, and interventions in these areas will be very complicated. Just imagine that many mined areas are now covered with layers of dust, sand, and debris of varying thickness. The exact location of these minefields is unknown, and their identification, demining, and area restoration could take decades.”

As for the impact on the marine environment, when the shockwave reached the Black Sea, the main impact was felt along the coasts in front of Odessa and the neighboring area, as reported by the director of GeoEcoMar. Here, vast amounts of construction debris, vegetation remains, corpses, and pollutants accumulated in the sediments brought by the waters. Due to the massive influx of freshwater, the coastal waters in this northern area experienced a decrease in salinity up to three times below normal levels, according to colleagues in Odessa.

• „The reduced salinity in this area had a major negative impact on the local fauna and flora, resulting in the mortality of numerous individuals. However, the wind pushed these waters further into the open Black Sea, and current measurements indicate a return to normal salinity levels in these parts, with the pollutants transported by the sediments starting to dilute. Over the long term, significant effects will remain evident: all the coarser sediments, debris from houses, and vegetation transported by the Dnieper and settled on the seabed will add to the pre-existing pollutants from earlier periods. A detailed analysis of the presence of these elements on the seabed and most likely a cleanup operation will be necessary. Again, without detailed and repeated studies in the area, providing complete solutions is extremely challenging. However, experience tells us that the most significant effects remain localized here, within the Dnieper-Estuary-Sea system under the influence of the Dnieper. But as we move away from the Dnieper’s mouth, the impact on the marine environment diminishes considerably through dilution,” explains Adrian Stănică.

How is „our” Black Sea affected?

The director of the National Institute of Marine Geology and Geoecology in Romania also stated that the Romanian coast is at a considerable distance from the mouth of the Dnieper, and between the waters flowing from the north and Constanta, for example, the Danube River mouths are present.

• „The Danube is four times larger than the Dnieper, and its current flows significantly east-southeast. After the dam explosion, the wind pushed the waters from the Odessa area – and further away from us – into the open sea.”

What is Really Polluting Our Sea?

Adrian Stănică explained that the Romanian coastline is „not a paradise,” especially compared to three decades ago:

„There are several reasons – the first and most important historically is linked to the bankruptcy of industries and intensive agriculture during the communist period – in almost the entire Danube Basin and, on a larger scale, almost everywhere in the Black Sea. Then, European environmental legislation also plays an important role. The two directives – the Water Framework Directive and the Marine Framework Directive – support maintaining an environment that is, if not perfect, at least much cleaner than in the past. However, while the concentrations of old pollutants are significantly lower, new types of pollutants have emerged, such as microplastics and urban waste in general. Regarding the self-purification capacity of the sea, there is certainly a capacity for marine ecosystems to regenerate their quality when they are no longer subjected to various negative pressures – that is, if they have not been irreversibly affected before. This applies to the Black Sea, just as it does to the entire Planet’s Ocean. But that does not mean that some areas do not still contain pollutants accumulated in sediments, the so-called historical pollution,” the specialist added.

The Largest Ecocide Since Chernobyl

Adrian Stănică clarified that the largest ecocide in Ukraine and its waters still remains Chernobyl:

• „The biggest previous catastrophe occurred during the USSR in Ukraine, referring to the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Historic misfortune makes us witness another ecocide now in the neighboring country due to the Russian invasion. Obviously, the impact of the war on people is disastrous – and we must always think about that. But the environment is also affected in every possible way. Forests and natural areas become war zones, and the battles and explosions take lives and destroy the respective ecosystems. All explosive substances, fuels, and other products resulting from combustion pollute the air, surface waters, and groundwater. The sinking of ships also has an impact on water quality, and the explosions affect marine fauna,” the geologist added.

How Much is the Environment Currently Affected?

• „But a quantitative answer – how much, how, and for how long the environment in Ukraine has been affected – can only be given after the end of the war,” concluded Adrian Stănică, the director of the National Institute of Marine Geology and Geoecology in Romania – GeoEcoMar.

Greenpeace: Enormous Consequences on the Dnieper

Greenpeace’s research, based on satellite data, revealed that after the dam burst, refineries, gas stations, combined heat and power plants, and various depots were flooded with water. All of these add up to at least 150 tons of motor oil that would have been released in the first days of the disaster, according to one of the most prominent environmental protection organizations.

• „Even small amounts of these substances are sufficient to contaminate the soil and water (…) Particularly, the flooding of industrial areas can cause the most significant pollution, which will be directly carried from the area and washed downstream, polluting the Black Sea and coastal areas. The consequences for aquatic organisms in the Kahovka reservoir and the Dnieper River will be enormous. These include damage to fish habitats, birds, amphibians, and animals in general, as well as pollution of water bodies and coastal and terrestrial areas. Where the water now retreats, we should expect widespread contamination with mineral oil hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Heavy metal contamination also needs to be examined. The soils and water bodies cannot be used for food production or as sources of drinking water for a long time if they are not properly monitored and remediated as necessary,” explained Manfred Santen, a chemist from Greenpeace Germany.

The Evolution of Concerning News on the Subject

Immediately after the dam’s destruction, the World Health Organization’s reaction raised concerns in the countries along the potential path of the polluted waters.

• „Together with partners, WHO is urgently working on a humanitarian response in the affected areas to address immediate and ongoing health needs of people. In the short term, there is a significant risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, as well as rodent-borne diseases like leptospirosis and tularemia. In the medium and long term, WHO is concerned about the lasting impact on the physical and mental health of affected communities, the damage to the environment from floods, and damage to health facilities, which can reduce access to essential and specialized services such as renal dialysis and cancer treatment,” WHO stated on June 13th.

From there, the panic of possible cholera infection from the seawater was only a step away. A week later, news circulated about the presence of the cholera-causing bacteria in the Black Sea near the city of Odessa, along with other microorganisms causing intestinal infections. These claims were made by local authorities in Ukraine (Euronews).

Various media outlets also disseminated similar information and explanations from Romanian specialists:

• „I believe that it is a good thing that the World Health Organization has a prompt response. By saying this, I mean that perhaps it was not the same during the pandemic every time. The speed of the WHO’s reaction now is a correct one. We are talking about the conflict in Ukraine, which can pose a real risk of communicable infectious diseases, which we probably did not think we would consider. And here, we are not only talking about cholera, but also diphtheria, poliomyelitis, hepatitis A, tuberculosis. Such cases exist, and there is also a risk of transmission because we know very well that there is no boundary in front of microorganisms,” said Dr. Adrian Marinescu, a specialist in infectious diseases and epidemiology, and the medical director of the Matei Balș Institute of Infectious Diseases.

Conspiracy of Cholera Made in the Laboratory, Propagated by Pro-Russian Supporters in Romania

Some news outlets used titles such as „Cholera Risk in the Black Sea,” „Enormous Danger in the Black Sea!”, „Bathing Could be Banned on the Coastline,” and „Romanians Give up Vacations on the Coast Due to Cholera Fears.” There were also various Facebook posts with images of objects and waste allegedly coming from Ukrainian waters to Sfântu Gheorghe.

The alarmist rhetoric about „cholera in Ukraine” was amplified and even reached official levels through a parliamentary interpellation by Senator Diana Șoșoacă (formerly associated with the extremist AUR party) who, on June 21st, addressed Parliament regarding the situation at the Kahovka dam. The senator propagated the Russian narrative in Romania, attended events at the Russian Embassy (contrary to the position of the Romanian state after the invasion of Ukraine), and promoted conspiracy theories. She spoke about the cholera epidemic, suggesting that it was caused by:

• „It would be because of these mass-killing laboratories, just like Covid appeared, also made in some laboratory, God knows who made it and where. I will not believe all the lies they tell and pass as official. Cholera also came from there,” Șoșoacă declared in an online interview propagated on social networks.

At the same time, G4Media published an interview with a specialist doctor who rejected the hypothesis that the Romanian coastline could be infested with cholera due to the Kahovka dam’s rupture in Ukraine, even if corpses or other debris were