June 9, 2023
By Eric Schmitt
There is a lot of damage from the dam collapse (click here). Beside the damage there are also people endangered by the incident. The evidence of an explosion before the dam collapse is still not conclusive that the dam was sabotaged or used as a weapon to kill more Ukrainians. The conclusions turn to accusations because this war is so bad and so ill conceived and fought by the perpetrators. This is no different than the gas pipeline that burst. There is no conclusion, especially, when it is incompetence and/or the negligence that war brings to infrastructure.
The nuclear power plant of Zaporizhzhia is now once again a concern and once again the IAEA is the best group of professionals to bring consultation and plans to contain any contamination. With this dam collapse I really don't know how Europe and NATO specifically can simply sit this one out. It is not about war anymore, it is about damage to Earth and the innocent. We need engineers and a "Fukushima Daiichi" strategy.
This war by Russia with a proxy by China is a complete disaster. Russia has no military anymore. Its soldiers are scattering when in battle to save their own lives. It is time to stop this idiocy planned during the years of Trump with hubris from Helsinki. There is no purpose to this war. Just lobbing missiles in the air for the purpose of politics is not only a travesty, but, the Russian people are suffering because of these very dangerous politics.
By Geoff Brumfiel
A major dam in Ukraine has collapsed. (click here) The failure is a grave blow to the region's water supply and is putting further stress on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant....
..NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel is here to talk more about what the loss of this dam means. Geoff, begin with just explaining what happened at the site of the dam.
GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: This dam sits right on the front lines, with Ukrainian forces on one side and Russian troops on the other. And for months, it's been battered by artillery fire and explosions. Then, in May, the reservoir controls flooded with spring rainwater. It seems like no one was on the Russian side to open the dam's gates up and let some of that water out. So the water level got so high it was spilling over the top of the dam. And then, this morning, it appears that the dam was almost completely washed away. Russia blames Ukraine for attacking it. Ukraine blames Russia for blowing it up. But given all the stress it was under, it's also possible it just collapsed.
SHAPIRO: So the dam was holding back this huge reservoir, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is right on the shores of that reservoir. What are the implications for the plant?...
