The immediate humanitarian consequences, in flooded homes and displaced civilians, are dramatic enough. But Ukrainian officials are now warning of serious long-term consequences for agriculture across one of the country's most fertile areas, reports BBC.
The Kherson region is among Ukraine's most fertile and productive.
Ukraine agriculture ministry on Wednesday predicted that fields in southern region could "turn into deserts as early as next year", as vital irrigation systems, which depend on the vast Kakhovka reservoir, cease to function.
The reservoir is fast disappearing, sending an estimated 4.4 cubic miles of water roaring down the Dnipro River towards the Black Sea.
Before the war, the ministry says, 31 irrigation systems provided water for 584,000 hectares (more than 2,200 sq miles) of farmland.
"The dam and the pumping station in it were needed for us to take this water and deliver it. This is now destroyed. If farmers are going to have water lines, it should be built again from the beginning."
Apart from its famous watermelons, the rich farmland either side of the Dnipro River produces a host of different crops, from onions and tomatoes to sunflowers, soybeans and wheat. Dairy farms are also likely to be affected.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
