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Sewage discharges into UK’s rivers and beaches soar by 88 per cent in 12 months

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had%20begun.%20Russia%E2%80%99s%20state-run%20news%20agency%20Tass%20cited%20emergency%20services%20saying%2080%20settlements%20could%20be%20affected.%0A%0AA%20Russian%20military%20blogger%2C%20Rybar%2C%20said%2011%20out%20of%2028%20spans%20in%20the%20dam%20were%20destroyed%20after%20explosions%20at%202am%2C%20though%20this%20could%20not%20immediately%20be%20verified.%20Another%20blogger%20said%20there%20were%20no%20reported%20missile%20attacks%20on%20the%20dam%20prior%20to%20the%20breach%2C%20while%20videos%20circulated%20on%20Russian%20channels%20were%20said%20to%20be%20of%20civilians%20evacuating.%0A%0AVladimir%20Leontiev%2C%20the%20head%20of%20the%20Russian-occupied%20administration%20of%20Nova%20Kakhovka%20city%2C%20on%20the%20southern%20bank%20of%20the%20Dnipro%2C%20initially%20denied%20the%20dam%20had%20been%20blown%20up%2C%20according%20to%20the%20Ria%20Novosti%20news%20agency%2C%20but%20he%20was%20later%20reported%20to%20confirm%20there%20was%20%E2%80%9Cdamage%E2%80%9D%20and%20blame%20it%20on%20shelling.%0A%0AInterfax%20quoted%20an%20unnamed%20representative%20from%20regional%20emergency%20services%20as%20saying%20the%20collapse%20was%20the%20result%20of%20a%20catastrophic%20structural%20failure.%20%E2%80%9CThe%20dam%20could%20not%20stand%20it%3A%20one%20support%20collapsed%2C%20and%20flooding%20began%2C%E2%80%9D%20the%20representative%20said%2C%20adding%20that%20there%20were%20no%20attacks%20on%20the%20hydroelectric%20power%20station%20overnight.%0A%0ADavid%20Helms%2C%20a%20former%20US%20air%20force%20and%20National%20Oceanic%20and%20Atmospheric%20Administration%20meteorologist%20who%20has%20monitored%20the%20dam%2C%20said%20on%20Twitter%3A%20%E2%80%9CThe%20Russians%20allowed%20the%20reservoir%20to%20fill%20to%20record%20levels%3B%20if%20the%20dam%20failed%20%E2%80%98naturally%E2%80%99%2C%20it%20certainly%20failed%20due%20to%206%20weeks%20of%20over-topping%20and%20stress%20on%20the%20structure.%E2%80%9D%0A%0AThe%20areas%20most%20under%20threat%20from%20flooding%20are%20the%20islands%20along%20the%20course%20of%20the%20Dnipro%20downstream%20of%20Nova%20Kakhovka%20and%20much%20of%20the%20Russian-held%20left%20bank%20in%20southern%20Kherson.%20Earlier%20modelling%20of%20such%20a%20disaster%20suggested%20Kherson%20city%20would%20not%20bear%20the%20brunt%2C%20but%20the%20harbour%2C%20the%20docklands%20and%20an%20island%20in%20the%20south%20of%20the%20city%20are%20likely%20to%20be%20inundated.%20It%20is%20unclear%20how%20many%20people%20could%20lose%20their%20homes.%0A%0AThere%20could%20be%20two%20further%20serious%20side-effects%3A%20the%20Zaporizhzhia%20nuclear%20power%20plant%20upstream%20could%20lose%20access%20to%20water%20for%20cooling%20as%20the%20reservoir%20drains%20away%2C%20and%20the%20water%20supply%20to%20Crimea%20could%20also%20be%20severely%20affected.%0A%0AFour%20of%20the%20six%20reactors%20at%20the%20nuclear%20plant%20are%20completely%20shut%20down%2C%20and%20two%20are%20on%20%E2%80%9Chot%20shutdown%E2%80%9D%2C%20producing%20a%20small%20amount%20of%20energy%20for%20the%20plant%20itself%20and%20the%20neighbouring%20town.%20The%20International%20Atomic%20Energy%20Agency%20said%20in%20a%20tweet%20its%20experts%20at%20the%20plant%20were%20monitoring%20the%20situation.%20It%20said%20there%20was%20%E2%80%9Cno%20immediate%20nuclear%20safety%20risk%20at%20plant%E2%80%9D.

Dam explosion deluges Russian-occupied Ukraine

In%20a%20comprehensive%20ecological%20intervention%2C%20China%20has%20claimed%20to%20dismantle%20300%20dams%20and%20decommission%20more%20than%2090%20percent%20of%20small%20hydropower%20stations%20along%20the%20Chishui%20River%2C%20also%20known%20as%20the%20Red%20River%2C%20a%20key%20tributary%20of%20the%20upper%20Yangtze.%20%0A%0AThe%20move%20is%20seen%20as%20one%20of%20the%20largest%20state-led%20efforts%20to%20restore%20aquatic%20biodiversity%20in%20Asia%E2%80%99s%20longest%20river%2C%20reversing%20decades%20of%20hydro-infrastructure%20development%20that%20critically%20endangered%20native%20fish%20species%2C%20including%20the%20Yangtze%20sturgeon%2C%20the%20South%20China%20Morning%20Post%20reported.%0A%0A%3Cb%3E342%20hydro%20plants%2C%20300%20dams%20removed%3C%2Fb%3E%0A%0AThe%20Chishui%20River%2C%20which%20flows%20over%20400%20kilometers%20through%20the%20provinces%20of%20Yunnan%2C%20Guizhou%2C%20and%20Sichuan%2C%20has%20long%20been%20considered%20a%20final%20sanctuary%20for%20rare%20and%20endemic%20fish%20species%20in%20the%20upper%20Yangtze.%20%0A%0AOnce%20fragmented%20by%20a%20dense%20lattice%20of%20dams%20and%20power%20stations%2C%20its%20waters%20now%20run%20more%20freely%20following%20large-scale%20demolitions%20that%20began%20in%202020.%0A%0ABy%20the%20end%20of%202024%2C%20300%20out%20of%20357%20dams%20had%20been%20removed%2C%20and%20342%20of%20373%20small%20hydropower%20stations%20were%20shut%20down%2C%20according%20to%20a%20report%20by%20China%E2%80%99s%20state-run%20Xinhua%20News%20Agency.%20%0A%0AThe%20dismantling%20has%20restored%20natural%20water%20flow%2C%20reconnected%20fragmented%20habitats%2C%20and%20reopened%20migratory%20routes%20critical%20for%20fish%20reproduction.%0A%0A%E2%80%9CThis%20achievement%20indicates%20that%20the%20current%20ecological%20environment%20of%20the%20Red%20River%20can%20now%20meet%20the%20habitat%20and%20reproductive%20needs%20of%20Yangtze%20sturgeon%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Liu%20Fei%2C%20a%20researcher%20with%20the%20Chinese%20Academy%20of%20Sciences%E2%80%99%20Institute%20of%20Hydrobiology%20in%20Wuhan.%0A%0AThe%20Yangtze%20sturgeon%2C%20declared%20extinct%20in%20the%20wild%20by%20the%20International%20Union%20for%20Conservation%20of%20Nature%20(IUCN)%20in%202022%2C%20has%20shown%20signs%20of%20recovery.%20%0A%0ALiu%E2%80%99s%20team%20released%20two%20batches%20of%20hatchery-bred%20sturgeon%20into%20the%20Red%20River%20in%202023%20and%202024.%20In%20April%202025%2C%2020%20adult%20fish%20were%20released%20into%20Guizhou%E2%80%99s%20section%20of%20the%20river%20to%20test%20whether%20they%20could%20reproduce%20naturally%20in%20the%20restored%20habitat.%20%0A%0ABy%20mid-April%2C%20researchers%20confirmed%20spawning%20behavior%20and%20the%20successful%20hatching%20of%20fry%2C%20an%20unprecedented%20event%20since%202000.%0A%0A%3Cb%3E4%2C000-mile%20Yangtze%20River%3C%2Fb%3E%0A%0AFor%20decades%2C%20fish%20populations%20in%20the%20Yangtze%20Basin%20have%20been%20decimated%20by%20human%20interventions.%20%0A%0AHydropower%20stations%20changed%20water%20flows%2C%20reduced%20oxygen%20levels%2C%20and%20severed%20vital%20connections%20between%20spawning%20and%20feeding%20grounds.%20%0A%0AProfessor%20Zhou%20Jianjun%2C%20a%20hydraulic%20engineering%20expert%20at%20Tsinghua%20University%2C%20said%20that%20decommissioning%20does%20not%20always%20require%20full%20demolition.%20%E2%80%9CThe%20key%20is%20not%20whether%20the%20facilities%20still%20exist%2C%20but%20that%2C%20after%20power%20generation%20stops%2C%20the%20water%20control%20method%20can%20be%20changed%20to%20meet%20ecological%20needs.%E2%80%9D%0A%0AChina%E2%80%99s%20broader%20riverine%20restoration%20strategy%20extends%20beyond%20dam%20removals.%20A%20decade-long%20fishing%20ban%20introduced%20in%202020%2C%20restrictions%20on%20sand%20mining%2C%20and%20strict%20regulation%20of%20new%20infrastructure%20projects%20have%20all%20contributed%20to%20measurable%20gains%20in%20biodiversity%20and%20water%20quality.%20%0A%0AIn%20Sichuan%20province%20alone%2C%20authorities%20rectified%205%2C131%20hydropower%20stations%20by%20the%20end%20of%202021%2C%20shutting%20down%201%2C223%20of%20them.%0A%0ABeijing%E2%80%99s%202023%20biodiversity%20communique%20reported%20sustained%20improvement%20in%20aquatic%20ecosystems%20along%20the%20Yangtze%20and%20its%20tributaries.%20%0A%0APopulations%20of%20fish%2C%20invertebrates%2C%20and%20amphibians%20have%20begun%20to%20recover.%20Water%20quality%20assessments%20rate%20most%20river%20sections%20as%20%E2%80%9Cexcellent%2C%E2%80%9D%20and%20sand%20mining%20intensity%20has%20sharply%20declined.%0A%0AThe%20Yangtze%20sturgeon%20is%20struggling%20to%20survive%2C%20but%20new%20efforts%20on%20the%20Chishui%20River%20offer%20a%20plan%20for%20restoring%20balance%20in%20rivers%20that%20have%20been%20heavily%20developed.

300 dams demolished in historic river project

Europe%20is%20witnessing%20a%20major%20shift%20in%20river%20restoration%20as%20outdated%20dams%20and%20barriers%20are%20removed%20at%20record%20levels%2C%20helping%20waterways%20return%20to%20their%20natural%20flow%20and%20supporting%20biodiversity%20recovery%20across%20the%20continent.%0A%0AIn%20western%20Iceland%2C%20just%20a%20few%20miles%20downstream%20from%20a%20volcanic%20lava%20field%2C%20the%20uninterrupted%20sound%20of%20flowing%20water%20can%20now%20be%20heard%20again%20after%20decades%20of%20obstruction.%20Workers%20recently%20dismantled%20an%20abandoned%20dam%20on%20the%20Mels%C3%A1%20River%2C%20a%20structure%20that%20had%20long%20blocked%20fish%20migration%20despite%20no%20longer%20serving%20its%20original%20purpose.%0A%0AThe%20ageing%20hydroelectric%20facility%20had%20fallen%20into%20severe%20disrepair.%20According%20to%20river%20engineer%20Hamish%20Moir%20of%20the%20Scottish%20environmental%20firm%20CBEC%2C%20the%20power%20station%20was%20no%20longer%20operational%20and%20had%20effectively%20become%20a%20shelter%20for%20sheep%20rather%20than%20a%20source%20of%20electricity.%20He%20described%20the%20successful%20restoration%20of%20the%20river%E2%80%99s%20natural%20flow%20as%20an%20incredibly%20satisfying%20achievement.%0A%0AThe%20removal%20marked%20Iceland%E2%80%99s%20first%20official%20river%20dam%20demolition%2C%20but%20it%20is%20part%20of%20a%20much%20larger%20environmental%20movement%20spreading%20across%20Europe.%20New%20data%20from%20Dam%20Removal%20Europe%20reveals%20that%20602%20river%20barriers%20were%20dismantled%20across%20the%20continent%20in%202025%20%E2%80%94%20the%20highest%20annual%20total%20ever%20recorded.%20These%20removals%20included%20dams%2C%20culverts%2C%20weirs%2C%20and%20sluices%20that%20had%20interrupted%20river%20ecosystems%20for%20decades.%0A%0AThe%20number%20of%20barriers%20removed%20increased%20by%2011%25%20compared%20to%20the%20previous%20year%2C%20reconnecting%20approximately%203%2C740%20kilometres%20(2%2C324%20miles)%20of%20rivers.%20This%20progress%20supports%20the%20European%20Union%E2%80%99s%20wider%20environmental%20target%20of%20restoring%2025%2C000%20kilometres%20of%20free-flowing%20rivers%20by%202030%20under%20its%20nature%20restoration%20initiatives.%0A%0AEnvironmental%20experts%20say%20Europe%E2%80%99s%20rivers%20have%20historically%20been%20heavily%20modified%20for%20economic%20development.%20Rivers%20were%20dammed%20for%20hydropower%2C%20redirected%20for%20transportation%2C%20and%20engineered%20for%20industrial%20growth%2C%20often%20at%20enormous%20ecological%20cost.%20Chris%20Baker%2C%20director%20of%20Wetlands%20International%20Europe%2C%20explained%20that%20centuries%20of%20river%20fragmentation%20severely%20damaged%20aquatic%20ecosystems%20and%20wildlife%20populations.%0A%0ASince%20official%20monitoring%20began%20in%202020%2C%20river%20barrier%20removals%20across%20Europe%20have%20increased%20sixfold.%20Iceland%20and%20North%20Macedonia%20both%20completed%20their%20first%20recorded%20removals%20in%202025.%20Sweden%20led%20Europe%20with%20173%20barriers%20dismantled%2C%20followed%20by%20Finland%20with%20143%20and%20Spain%20with%20109.%20The%20United%20Kingdom%20also%20contributed%2C%20removing%2035%20obsolete%20structures.%0A%0AMost%20of%20the%20removed%20barriers%20were%20relatively%20small%2C%20measuring%20under%20two%20metres%20in%20height.%20Many%20no%20longer%20served%20any%20economic%20or%20industrial%20purpose%2C%20making%20them%20cost-effective%20targets%20for%20restoration%20projects.%20Environmental%20groups%20involved%20in%20Dam%20Removal%20Europe%20argue%20that%20removing%20obsolete%20infrastructure%20is%20one%20of%20the%20fastest%20ways%20to%20revive%20freshwater%20ecosystems.%0A%0ARiver%20fragmentation%20has%20disrupted%20fish%20migration%20routes%2C%20altered%20sediment%20transport%2C%20and%20contributed%20to%20dramatic%20biodiversity%20loss.%20Scientists%20estimate%20Europe%E2%80%99s%20freshwater%20migratory%20fish%20populations%20have%20declined%20by%20approximately%2075%25%20since%201970.%20Restoration%20projects%20completed%20in%202025%20included%20reconnecting%20the%20Kriva%20and%20P%C4%8Dinja%20rivers%20in%20North%20Macedonia%2C%20while%20Norway%20demolished%20a%20six-metre-high%20obsolete%20dam%20on%20the%20Vinstra%20River%20using%20explosives.%0A%0ARestoring%20natural%20river%20connectivity%20offers%20significant%20ecological%20benefits%2C%20including%20improved%20fish%20habitats%2C%20healthier%20wetlands%2C%20and%20stronger%20biodiversity.%20However%2C%20researchers%20also%20warn%20that%20reconnecting%20waterways%20may%20unintentionally%20help%20invasive%20species%20spread%20more%20easily%20between%20river%20systems.%0A%0AA%20recent%20scientific%20study%20highlighted%20this%20%E2%80%9Cconnectivity%20conundrum%2C%E2%80%9D%20explaining%20that%20some%20artificial%20barriers%20have%20historically%20slowed%20the%20movement%20of%20invasive%20organisms.%20Ellen%20Donovan%2C%20a%20biologist%20at%20Queen%E2%80%99s%20University%20Belfast%20and%20lead%20researcher%20of%20the%20study%2C%20noted%20that%20while%20river%20restoration%20delivers%20rapid%20ecological%20improvements%2C%20long-term%20environmental%20management%20and%20monitoring%20are%20essential%20to%20reduce%20emerging%20risks.%0A%0AEurope%20currently%20has%20more%20than%20one%20million%20artificial%20barriers%20disrupting%20rivers%20and%20streams%2C%20with%20tens%20of%20thousands%20considered%20obsolete.%20The%20European%20Union%E2%80%99s%20Nature%20Restoration%20Law%2C%20which%20came%20into%20force%20in%202024%2C%20specifically%20encourages%20the%20removal%20of%20outdated%20river%20infrastructure%20to%20reconnect%20freshwater%20ecosystems.%0A%0AThe%20global%20movement%20toward%20river%20restoration%20extends%20beyond%20Europe.%20In%20the%20United%20States%2C%20rivers%20are%20fragmented%20by%20over%20550%2C000%20dams%20and%20hundreds%20of%20thousands%20of%20road-related%20barriers.%20Experts%20estimate%20that%20around%2070%25%20of%20American%20dams%20have%20exceeded%20their%20intended%20design%20lifespan.%20According%20to%20conservation%20nonprofit%20American%20Rivers%2C%20100%20dams%20were%20removed%20across%20the%20US%20in%202025%20alone.%20China%20has%20also%20accelerated%20restoration%20efforts%2C%20removing%20hundreds%20of%20dams%20along%20sections%20of%20the%20Yangtze%20River%20in%20recent%20years.%0A%0AEnvironmental%20advocates%20say%20public%20attitudes%20toward%20old%20dams%20are%20changing%20rapidly.%20Rather%20than%20viewing%20obsolete%20structures%20as%20permanent%20landmarks%2C%20many%20communities%20now%20recognize%20them%20as%20ageing%20industrial%20remnants%20that%20continue%20to%20damage%20ecosystems%20long%20after%20their%20original%20function%20has%20disappeared.