(ANSA) - ROME, 05 MAY - The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant risks being flooded with consequences for safety if the Kakhovka dam were to give way, the reservoir of which has filled to excess: the alarm was sounded in the TASS by the councilor of the CEO of Rosenergoatom, Renat Karchaa.
"The failure of this dam poses a threat to both Energodar and the Zaporozhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The power lines leading to the cooling ponds and pumping plants could be flooded. This will create problems for the use of the station and risks for nuclear safety," he said.
According to Karchaa, if the dam were to fail at least three major populated areas Kamenka-Dneprovskoye, Blagoveshchenka and Vodyanoye, which together host about 15,000-18,000 people, would be inundated.
"Two solutions are possible. One is for the Ukrainians to stop their shelling and allow us to repair the dam gates damaged by their artillery. In that case we would dump the excess water and this threat would be eliminated. The other is to evacuate all those people." , he said.
Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We are Together with Russia movement, earlier told TASS that the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir had risen by 17 metres, which is "2.5 meters higher than normal".
The dam, he confirms, could break,
engulfing tens of thousands of people in the flooded area.
(HANDLE).