Fields and beams are flooded: Odesa region is experiencing severe flooding

In the settlements of the northeast of Odesa region, large-scale floods were recorded that local residents do not remember for at least several decades.

One of the most striking examples was the flood on the Chichiklia River, where the water level rose to unprecedented levels.

According to eyewitnesses, the water went beyond the usual channel and covered areas that had remained dry for years. Until recently, in many places, the river retained water only in individual spots, but now the flooding has become widespread.

In addition, the gullies adjacent to the river are filled with water. The water level in them is so high that not only fields but also partially forests are flooded.

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According to eyewitnesses, the forest in the village of Mykolaivka, Bereziv district, as well as the forest near the village of Kopy, located on the administrative border of Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, is significantly flooded.

The Chichiklia River near the village of Mykolaivka

It is worth noting that in addition to the Chichiklia, the water level on the Tiligul and Kodyma rivers has also risen significantly.

Although the winter was not marked by significant snowfall, prolonged rains in the fall and winter contributed to the accumulation of moisture in the soil. This was one of the factors behind the sharp rise in water levels.

The road between Dumanivka and Mykolaivka

Experts also point to the anthropogenic impact: plowing up gullies, draining natural floodplains, and reducing the area of forest belts could have significantly changed the natural water regulation system, which exacerbated the effects of precipitation.

Currently, the water level is gradually decreasing, but the scale of the flooding in Chichiklia and other areas of the region is already being called one of the largest in recent decades.

A gully in the Kopivskyi forest area

Flooded forest in Mykolaivka

Kopivskyi forest

The Chychyklia is a small steppe river in southern Ukraine that flows through the Odesa region. It belongs to the Southern Bug basin.

The river is mainly fed by snow and rain and is characterized by an unstable water regime. In dry years, a significant part of the riverbed dries up, and water is stored only in certain places. At the same time, during periods of prolonged precipitation or spring snowmelt, the water level can rise sharply, causing flooding.

The name of the river is probably of Turkic origin. According to one version, it may derive from the word "çiçek " - "flower" or "küçük " - "small", which is typical for hydronyms in the southern regions of Ukraine.

The hydrological state of Chychykliia is largely dependent on climatic conditions and human activity. Plowing of gullies, drainage of floodplains and reduction of forest belts affect the natural water regulation system, which can exacerbate both low water and flood events.

As Intent wrote earlier, defensive tetrapods on the territory of the Tuzly estuaries were washed away into the sea.

Concrete tetrapods, which were used to fortify the coastline in the Tuzly Estuaries National Nature Park in Odesa Oblast, were almost underwater.

"The tetrapods in the Tuzly Estuaries National Nature Park are being swallowed up by the Black Sea right now. One or two more storms and they will be gone. And of course, their function for the main purpose - protection from the enemy from the sea - will be zero. In addition, the recreational area will be significantly damaged and it will be difficult for people to use it in the future," said Ivan Rusev, an ecologist at the national park.

In the winter of 2024, the issue of these defenses was already raised. Then, the Odesa Regional Military Administration responded to the reports of journalists and Ivan Rusev, an employee of the Tuzly Estuaries National Nature Park, and ordered the tetrapods that had been installed on the coast to be dug out of the sand and moved a little further away.

As reported by the Center for Public Investigations, in the late<i> </i>spring of 2024, concrete defenses - tetrapods - began to be installed on the Black Sea coast to prevent the potential landing of Russian equipment. In total, UAH 2.7 billion was allocated for all fortifications in the region. A few months later, the tetrapods were dragged into the sand.

After public attention was drawn, the Odesa Regional Military Administration ordered the tetrapods that had been installed on the coast to be dug out of the sand and pulled a little further away.

Андрій Колісніченко