Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for the damage at the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam and offered conflicting versions on the safety situation at the Russian-occupied plant, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) away.
The Kakhovka dam sits on the Dnipro river, which feeds a reservoir providing cooling water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was "closely monitoring the situation" at the plant but saw "no immediate nuclear safety risk".
Damage to the dam was leading to a reduction in the height of the reservoir of about five centimetres (two inches) per hour, IAEA head Rafael Grossi said in a statement to his agency's 35-member board of governors.
Water in the reservoir was at around 16.4 metres early Tuesday, and if it drops below 12.7 metres, then it can no longer be pumped to the plant, Grossi warned, adding this could happen in "a few days".
Plant staff were making "all efforts to pump as much water into its cooling channels and related systems as possible", while supplies for "non-essential consumers of water" at the plant were being stopped, he added.
Besides that, IAEA is looking to confirm whether a large cooling pond next to the site would be able to provide water for cooling "for some months", he said, adding that this pond "by design is kept above the height of the reservoir".
- 'Vital' to protect pond -
"It is therefore vital that this cooling pond remains intact. Nothing must be done to potentially undermine its integrity. I call on all sides to ensure nothing is done to undermine that," said Grossi, adding he will visit the plant next week.
The plant's reactors have already been shut down, but they still need cooling water to ensure there is no nuclear disaster.
"Absence of cooling water in the essential cooling water systems for an extended period of time would cause fuel melt and inoperability of the emergency diesel generators," Grossi warned.
Grossi has repeatedly called for the protection of the plant as shelling has taken place near it and several times disrupted its crucial power supply.
The plant's Russian-installed director, Yuri Chernichuk, said there was no security threat to the plant as the cooling pond could provide the water.
He said the water can be refilled with "water from the Kakhovka reservoir or with several alternative sources."
Ukraine -- which in 1986 suffered the devastating Chernobyl nuclear disaster -- sounded the alarm.
"The world once again finds itself on the brink of a nuclear disaster, because the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant lost its source of cooling. And this danger is now growing rapidly," Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak said.
Kakhovka: a strategic dam in Russian-occupied Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) June 6, 2023 - Thousands are at risk of flooding in southern Ukraine, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other for damage to the strategic Russian-held Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.
The dam on the Dnipro River is a strategic water source for the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula, and flooding could potentially block Ukrainian forces seeking to regain lost territory.
The damage has also increased fears of a nuclear incident, since the Zaporizhzhia power plant relies on the upstream Kakhovka reservoir for its cooling systems.
The 3.3-kilometre-long (two-mile-long) dam was captured by Russian forces at the beginning of the invasion on February 24, 2022, along with its hydroelectric power station.
Upstream from the dam is the Kakhovka reservoir, which can hold 18 cubic kilometres of water -- approximately the same capacity as Utah's Great Salt Lake.
Ukraine, which now controls the river's right bank, said on Tuesday there was flooding in at least eight areas along the Dnipro River.
About 16,000 people are in a critical flood zone, according to Ukrainian officials.
The dam is about 60 kilometres (40 miles) east of Kherson, which Ukraine took back in November, turning the river into the new front line.
Russia, which controls the left bank of the river, said over 22,000 residents in 14 areas were in potential flood zones but there was no risk of flooding for major population centres.
- Disputing claims -
Besides flooding, there are fears of a nuclear incident because the Zaporizhzhia power station relies on the Kakhovka reservoir for its cooling system.
The United Nations and Russia said there was no major risk to the nuclear power plant but Ukraine said there was a growing danger.
Built in Soviet times in the 1950s, the Kakhovka dam has strategic value. It pumps water into the North Crimean Canal, which starts in southern Ukraine and crosses the entire Crimean peninsula.
This means that any problem with the dam could cause water supply problems for Crimea, which has been under Russian control since 2014.
Kyiv accused Moscow of mining the dam when combat raged nearby in October, during the last major offensive by Ukrainian forces seeking to regain lost territory.
Kremlin proxies in the Kherson region on Tuesday denied any plans to blow up the dam, calling Ukraine's assertions "lies".
Kyiv says Moscow destroyed the dam to slow down its military counteroffensive.
Russia said the dam was damaged by multiple Ukrainian strikes.
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