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South Ukrainian Canal

The South Ukrainian Canal was a large-scale unrealized Soviet irrigation project proclaimed in a Union decree of 1950 simultaneously with the Kakhovka HPP and the North Crimean Canal. The declared construction of the canal and reservoirs on the Molochna and Konka rivers remained exclusively on paper and served as a propaganda smokescreen to distract attention from the flooding of the Dnieper floodplains by the Kakhovka Reservoir.

Overview

According to the Decree of the USSR Council of Ministers of September 1950 and the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the UkrSSR and Central Committee of the CP(b)U of November 26, 1950 "On Conducting Priority Survey and Design Work for the Construction of the Kakhovka HPP, the South Ukrainian and North Crimean Canals," the UkrSSR committed to launching large-scale preparatory, survey, and infrastructure work. The project envisaged the construction of a canal to irrigate the steppe regions of Southern Ukraine, as well as the water regulation of the runoff of the Molochna and Konka rivers.

Despite an extensive Soviet propaganda information campaign and the obligations of Ukrainian ministries to build social and sanitary infrastructure (hospitals, water mains, towns, "Ukrvodbud" training production complexes), the South Ukrainian Canal project never reached the stage of practical construction. At the same time, the propaganda clamor distracted the attention of scientists and the public from the harmful ecological and cultural consequences of the flooding of the Great Meadow by the Kakhovka Reservoir.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Detailed Estimate Splitting and Financing: Out of the colossal 12 billion rubles planned for irrigation from the Union budget, real tranches were meager (100–220 million rubles). The main expenses for preparatory work, infrastructure, and logistics were shifted onto the budget of the UkrSSR, which amounted to only 17 billion rubles for the entire republic.
  • Disagreements on Irrigation Methods: At the canal design stage, a conflict broke out between the director of "Hydroproject" S. Zhuk, who advocated gravity-fed water delivery, and Ukrainian engineers, who demonstrated the significant advantage of the mechanical (electric) method, which would save both water and land.
  • Role of Construction Leaders: The direct executor of the construction was the head of "Ukrvodbud" Andriyan Bochkin. His directorate took on the entire practical organization of surveying and routing work, as well as combating personnel shortages and equipment deficits.
  • Propaganda Role of the Project: The declared construction was meant to create the illusion of the "Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature" for Ukraine, offsetting the loss of the most fertile Dnieper floodplains. Ultimately, the canal remained unrealized.
  • Obligations of UkrSSR Republican Authorities: Ministries and institutions of the UkrSSR had to perform a huge volume of preparatory and social work for a project that was never implemented.