Two tiny fish gasped and floated in the midday heat in a shallow, brackish pool of water not far from the front lines of Ukraine.
They were surrounded by vast stretches of exposed mud and rock that had been covered by meters of water for the previous three quarters of a century. Overlooking a nearby sandbank was a sizable grain barge. In search of cover, water frogs and snakes slithered through the dwindling shallows.
A shallow swimming pool the size of England's volume of water, or 18 cubic kilometers, has gushed south to disappear into the Black Sea two weeks after a dam holding back the Dnipro River was destroyed by what is believed to be a Russian sabotage operation.
It's disastrous. All of it was washed away. Deer, wild pigs, fish, and numerous other threatened species. And currently, about 500,000 people are without water, according to Anatolii Derkach, 37, the town council secretary in Marhanets, which is located on the western shore of the former reservoir.
The silhouette of Europe's largest nuclear power plant could be seen on the eastern shore from Derkach's fourth-floor office as he peered out across the grey, cracked mud. Currently, Russia is in control of the Zaporizhzhia plant and its six reactors. When the water is gone, the plant, which is about 10 km (six miles) away, appears to be much closer.
It will have enough water in its reservoirs, according to reports, for about six months. However, we cannot be certain," he added with a sigh, adding the dreaded word "Chernobyl" as a reminder of the nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine whose reactor exploded in 1986, resulting in the worst nuclear accident ever.
Marhanets, a small town perched on a hill overlooking the reservoir, is frequently hit by Russian artillery in the meantime.
"They use drones to monitor us. According to Derkach, they start shelling if they see more than five people gathered in one area.
The council has been forced to set up temporary distribution points around town due to the reservoir's evaporation and the subsequent interruption of water supplies.
Iuliia, a pensioner who was in the middle of a long line of more than 20 people waiting to use some taps and a sizable plastic tank in the town center, said, "How do you think I feel? I'm walking around like a donkey, forced to carry water.".
It isn't even water for drinking. The future makes me anxious. Nina, her 70-year-old neighbor, said, "I don't see a way out of this.
In order to connect to other reservoirs, Marhanets and other nearby towns are planning to dig new canals. However, a large number of people have moved out, forcing the closure of nearby mines and other businesses. In search of alternative water sources, nearby farmers are currently attempting to access old wells and small streams.
"I'm not sure what the Russians were thinking by acting in that way. Ivan Zaruski, 56, took a short break from loading bales of straw onto a trailer in a field outside of town with a group of family members and neighbors. He said that the environment would suffer and that it would be difficult for everyone.
"It's crucial that the nuclear power plant doesn't blow up. But we'll get through it all. We have no other option because we have nowhere else to go, he added with a smile.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of firing missiles at the Kakhovka dam in Russian-occupied territory, despite the fact that Moscow claims it had nothing to do with the dam's destruction.
However, further south, below the demolished dam, the heaving flood waters that unexpectedly swept through the port city of Kherson and smaller towns, killing dozens of people and forcing thousands to flee, have largely subsided.
Irina, a 73-year-old retired teacher, and her husband Evhenii slowly dragged the soggy contents of their small cottage outside and remarked, "We're like rats - we can survive anything.
In the middle of Kherson, on Tchaikovsky Street, close to the Dnipro River, the floodwaters occasionally reached the roof of their house. But now there were only a few large puddles outside, along with a few small boats that had been used during the flooding.
This occurred at the beginning of the summer, at least. Evhenii stacked some offensive, rotting furniture in the yard and said, "We still have time to dry things out.
Many more Russian artillery shells would fall in this neighborhood in the hours and days to come. These shells were fired from Russian positions on the far bank earlier that morning, into the center of Kherson. Much of the city appeared to be deserted, and Ukrainian soldiers were preventing cars from getting too close to the river.
Oksana, who had come to help her aging parents clean up after the flood on Tchaikovsky Street, remarked, "Today was wonderful.". She was referring to reports on Ukraine's defense strategy.
"Our team members are working hard. Who is shooting where can be identified. Our troops have hit some sizable ammunition depots and have had some significant victories over Russian positions. She said, "I just wish it were all happening a little bit faster.
Vladimir, her father, who was 78 years old, was slouched in a chair close by. He had been removing water-logged sections of an old cabinet while kneeling and using an axe, but he stood up too quickly.
He was conceived here. He has lived here for his entire life. Elderly residents make up the majority of the community. "They're not leaving," declared Oksana.
