MELITOPOL, May 5. /TASS/. The possible dam failure, caused by record-high water levels in the Kakhovka Reservoir, will cause a flood at the territory of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), said Renat Karchaa, an advisor to the chief executive of Russia’s Rosenergoatom nuclear power plant operator.

"The failure of this dam poses a threat to both Energodar and the Zaporozhye NPP. Power lines leading to spray cooling ponds, as well as pumping facilities, may be flooded. This will create problems for the station’s use and nuclear safety risks," he said.

In his estimates, at least three major populated areas will be inundated if the dam bursts: Kamenka-Dneprovskoye, Blagoveshchenka and Vodyanoye, home to some 15,000-18,000 people in total.

"Two solutions are possible. One is that the Ukrainians stop their shelling and allow us to fix the dam’s shutters, which their artillery had damaged. In this case, we will discharge the extra water and this threat will be eliminated. The other is to evacuate all those people," he said.

Vladimir Rogov, Chairman of the We are Together with Russia movement, told TASS earlier that the level of water in the Kakhovka Reservoir has risen by 17 meters, which is "2.5 meters higher than the norm." In his words, the dam may break, affecting tens of thousands of people in the flooded zone.