CURRENT FLOODING CONDITIONS OF SETTLEMENTS IN THE KHERSON REGION (UKRAINE)

Kherson region has the largest share of irrigated land among all regions of Ukraine. At the same time, it is the largest arid region with a significant area of drainageless massifs. All this contributes to the occurrence of flooding of territories. The main task of the research is to identify modern factors of flooding of settlements in the Kherson region (Ukraine). The goals of the study were to analyze the hydrogeological conditions in the places of flooding, to identify modern changes in the rainfall regime and their impact on the frequency and intensity of flooding in the region, to determine the role of fluctuations in the water level in the Kakhovsky Reservoir and subsequent fluctuations in the groundwater level in regions with a high risk of flooding. The impact of irrigation and water losses from main irrigation canals on the intensification of flooding processes is also considered. Comparative, cartographic methods and GIS modeling were used in the research. It was established that the main causes of flooding are intense torrential rains in the summer-autumn period, in combination with a rise in the groundwater level due to excessive irrigation and fluctuations in the water level in the adjacent reservoir. The results of the research can be used to prevent flooding both in these territories and in others with a similar regime of hydrogeological conditions and economic use of territories.