It’s hard to imagine the ruin as a UNESCO World Heritage site, but this is what Ukraine is thinking about for Chernobyl, the site of the devastating nuclear disaster on April 26. 1986.
Recently, Ukraine is trying to put Chernobyl on the list of protected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In the photo: A bedroom of a kindergarten near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Pripyat city, Ukraine. (Source: Reuters) According to Ukraine’s Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko, the proposal to include Chernobyl on the UNESCO heritage list is the first and important step for the site to become a unique destination of interest to all mankind. In the photo: The abandoned city of Pripyat near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. (Source: Reuters) Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said, before submitting an application to the United Nations, the desired sites protected by UNESCO must be included in the list of national historical and cultural heritages. (Source: Reuters) Hence, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture recently decided to include a military radar built near the city of Chernobyl in the 1970s on this list and is also discussing a similar plan for the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone – the restricted zone with a radius of 30km from the center is the nuclear reactors. In the photo: The radar system was installed near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. (Source: Reuters) On April 26, 1986, the 4th reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Pripyat, 108 kilometers north of Kiev, exploded. According to many scientists, the cause of the accident was defects in the reactor’s design, especially the control rods; and non-compliance with the safety rules of nuclear power plant employees. However, some independent experts today believe that none of the above two assumptions are completely correct. (Source: Reuters) About 190 tons of radioactive material was released into the atmosphere; Radioactive dust clouds spread throughout Europe such as the western Soviet Union, Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavie, England, and East America. In the photo: The view inside a house in the abandoned village of Zalissya, near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. (Source: Reuters) The killing of 31 workers and firefighters left thousands more battling radiation-related illnesses, such as cancer. In the photo: A house in the abandoned village of Poliske near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. (Source: Reuters) Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia were severely polluted, evacuating and resettled for more than 336,000 people; about 60% of the radioactive cloud fell on Belarusian territory. (Source: Reuters) This is considered the most serious catastrophe in the history of nuclear energy, emitting 400 times more radiation than the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. (Source: Reuters) To overcome this, thousands of tons of soil were removed from the contaminated area, and contaminated machinery and equipment were buried in a special burial site. A 30km quarantine zone has been created around the plant, and people have been evacuated. (Source: Reuters) An area of more than 4,000 square kilometers around the former location of the power plant was uninhabitable. To date, the total number of people killed and suffered from long-term health effects remains the subject of fierce debate. In the photo: Engineers check the structure and radioactivity at the control room of the No. 4 reactor (Source: Reuters) Much of the area around the nuclear plant is abandoned, with buildings in ruins. All the buildings in Pripyat, a town once inhabited by 50,000 people, mainly working in factories, are in need of repair. In the photo: An abandoned building in the city of Pripyat. (Source: Reuters) Image of a Ukrainian engineer inspecting the inside of the No. 3 reactor, which has been decommissioned for many years. Engineers who come into the reactors to inspect the inside of the reactors must wear impermeable clothing on the outside, wear specialized masks and radiometric equipment. (Source: Reuters) The 1986 calendar remains on the wall of a house in the village of Zalissya. (Source: Reuters) A kindergarten in Pripyat was burned down by the explosion. (Source: Reuters) Remnants left in the village of Poliske abandoned in the Chernobyl region. (Source: Reuters) The third reactor’s control center remains intact. (Source: Reuters) The view inside a house in Zalissya. (Source: Reuters) In 1997, the Chernobyl International Shelter Foundation was formed to design and build a more permanent cover for the concrete “coffin” that covers the unstable and insecure No. 4 reactor. By 2010, a new “coffin” named New Safe Confinement was started to build. Unlike the old structure, New Confinement is designed to safely dismantle a reactor with a remote operating device. In the photo: The abandoned city of Pripyat. (Source: Reutes) This work will be built on the track adjacent to the reactor building 4, completed in 2016. A new metal dome at Chernobyl will cover the demolished reactor to prevent radioactive material from leaking out. out. The dome weighing 36,000 tons and 108 meters high, worth € 1.5 billion ($ 1.7 billion) was paid through a special fund of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Sponsored by 45 countries. The dome is strong enough to withstand storms and has a lifespan of up to 100 years, the EBRD said. In the photo: New Safe Confinement project seen from afar. (Source: Reuters) Life is back in the wilderness. In July 2019, President Volydymyr Zelensky signed a decree in July that designated Chernobyl as an official tourist attraction. In the photo: A moose on a deserted road in the Chernobyl region. (Source: Reuters) In 2019, the HBO drama Chernobyl caused visitors to skyrocket, to 120,000. Accordingly, those wishing to witness the highly radioactive area at the infamous No. 4 Reactor will be provided with protective vests, helmets, and poison masks and can only stay in short time. After they leave, they will have to undergo two x-ray tests to measure exposure. (Source: Reuters) The move is part of an effort by the Government of Ukraine to encourage tourism in the region. (Source: Reuters) On April 26, Ukraine will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko expects Chernobyl – which has become a popular spot for adventure travelers before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, will start attracting tourists again. In the photo: An abandoned village house in Zalissya. (Source: Reuters) (Reuters)
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