Union Programme on Chernobyl to Take Belarusian-Russian Research

Such an opinion was expressed by the member of Parliamentary Assembly Committee on ecology, nature management, and liquidation of accident consequences Tatiana Moskalkova on her visit to Minsk.

Such an opinion was expressed by the member of Parliamentary Assembly Committee on ecology, nature management, and liquidation of accident consequences Tatiana Moskalkova on her visit to Minsk.

“The programme will make it possible to establish a base for scientific research and take Belarusian-Russian research to a new level,” she said.

It should be noted that the programme of joint activities aimed to overcome the consequences of Chernobyl disaster within the Union State for the years 2006-2010 is essentially different from the previous similar project. “We’ve moved to a new level of problem-solving: from emergency measures to a long-term rehabilitation,” reported T.Moskalkova. “The experts entered a qualitatively new phase: the establishment of an economic component on the territories of radioactive radiation and contamination, of a humanitarian component as well as human psychology”.

According to the parliamentarian, a new ideological model of attitude to these territories is being developed. Russian-Belarusian information centre on the problems of Chernobyl disaster consequences which is intended to work out a new methodology of a man’s adaptation to these territories was established not long ago. “Three phases of the programme differ in the level of emergency measures: the initial measures were evacuation of people and their housing whereas at present the task is to make people come back and adapt them to this environment. It is necessary to make the territories attractive for creating jobs and economic advancement,” believes T.Moskalkova.

This programme aims at building new social facilities, dwelling for hundreds of families, restoration of research centres and rehabilitation of people. Recently an Integrated Chernobyl Register of Belarus and Russia has been drawn up. In 2008 it included the data about more than 380 thousand people who had been subjected to radiation exposure and developed potentially radiation-conditioned diseases. Besides that, the experts have prepared a model atlas of present-day and expected aspects of Chernobyl disaster consequences.