War’s done much harm to environment

DEMYDIV, Ukraine — Olga Lehan’s home near the Irpin River was flooded when Ukraine destroyed a dam to prevent Russian forces from storming the capital of Kyiv just days into the war. Weeks later, the water from her tap turned brown from pollution.

“It was not safe to drink,” she said of the tap water in her village of Demydiv, about 24 miles north of Kyiv on the tributary of the Dnieper River.

Environmental damage from the 8-month-old war with Russia is mounting in more of the country, with experts warning of long-term consequences. Moscow’s attacks on fuel depots have released toxins into the air and groundwater, threatening biodiversity, climate stability and the health of the population.

Because of the war, more than 6 million Ukrainians have limited or no access to clean water, and more than nearly 692,000 acres of forests have been destroyed or felled, according to the World Wildlife Fund. It has caused more than $37 billion in environmental damage, according to the Audit Chamber, a nongovernmental group in the country.

The health impact from contaminated water and exposure to toxins unleashed by conflict “may take years to manifest,” said Rick Steiner, a U.S. environmental scientist.

Nitrogen dioxide, which is released by burning fossil fuels, increased in areas west and southwest of Kyiv, according to an April report from REACH, a humanitarian research initiative that tracks information in areas affected by crisis, disaster and displacement. Direct exposure can cause skin irritation and burns, while chronic exposure can cause respiratory illness and harm vegetation, the report said.

Fires have damaged Ukraine’s crops and livestock, burned thousands of hectares of forest and prevented farmers from completing the harvest.