Kakhovka Dam

Why in news?

• Floodwaters were released throughout the conflict area after a massive Soviet-era dam – Kakhovka Dam – on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine was breached.

About Kakhovka Dam:

• The Kakhovka Dam is a 3.2-kilometer long dam built in 1956 on the Dnipro River as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.
• The reservoir created by the dam has a volume of 18 cubic kilometers, equivalent to the Great Salt Lake in the U.S.
• The reservoir serves as a water source for the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia claims to have annexed in 2014.
• It also supplies water to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is currently under Russian control.

Kakhovka Dam Collapse:

• Ukraine holds Russia responsible for the dam’s collapse.
• Some Russian-installed officials have accused Ukraine of shelling the dam.

Add ons

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, is closely monitoring the situation and has determined that there is no immediate nuclear safety risk at the plant.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Kakhovka Dam, recently seen in news is located in:

(a) Japan

(b) Ukraine

(c) China

(d) Indonesia

Answer