Post-disaster reflection on Chernobyl

The Chernobyl nuclear accident is undoubtedly the darkest scene in the history of human disasters. The tragic morning of April 26, 1986 reminded countless people of the term nuclear disaster. Thirty years later, the people of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia who were deeply affected by the accident still live in the shadow of the nuclear accident. At 1: 24 am on April 26, 1986, the No.4 reactor of Chernobyl nuclear power plant suddenly exploded. A pillar of fire more than 3 meters high opened the reactor shell, causing more than 8 tons of radioactive materials to leak, 3.2 million people were harmed by nuclear radiation, 2,294 residential areas were polluted by nuclear radiation, and 8 million hectares of land became a radioactive dust landing zone. Pripyat, which was only 3 kilometers away from the nuclear power plant, was evacuated by about 5, residents, and it is still an uninhabited "dead city". The area around the nuclear power plant with a radius of 3 kilometers has been turned into an isolated area, and personnel are strictly restricted from entering.

after the accident, in order to prevent the nuclear raw materials and radioactive substances from leaking again, the government closed the reinforced concrete bunker for Unit 4 which exploded (commonly known as "sarcophagus") and completely closed the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in December 2. Twenty years after the accident, ecologists were surprised to find that the "dead zone" around the "sarcophagus" had become a "paradise" for animals and plants. There are more than 27 species of birds living here, and the lush vegetation provides shelter for wild boar, deer and other animals.

Every year, some people who are reluctant to leave their homeland voluntarily return to the quarantine area to live. There are 5-8 residents in the quarantine area, most of whom are retirees. The houses where the old people live have electricity, and some have telephones. They grow vegetables, raise poultry, fish and hunt in the isolated area and live a self-sufficient life. The World Health Organization published a report on April 18th, saying that in the past 2 years, about 9,335 people in polluted areas have died of cancer and other diseases caused by nuclear leakage. However, Greenpeace believes that the number of people killed by the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia is 1 times that number.

According to the information released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations, 2.64 million Ukrainians suffered from nuclear radiation and 1, people lost their homes. Pines and spruces within 7 kilometers of the nuclear power plant withered, and 1, hectares of forest gradually died. The "safe zone" 3 kilometers away is also unsafe, and the number of cancer patients, children with thyroid diseases and deformed livestock has increased sharply.

As it is only a few kilometers away from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, most of the dust with radioactive substances falls into Belarus with the wind. 23% of the territory of Belarus is polluted, most people are exposed to different degrees of nuclear radiation, 6, square kilometers of land can not be used, and more than 4 settlements have become no man's land.

Russia also suffered heavy losses in the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Onishchenko, chief physician of health and epidemic prevention in Russia, said on April 24th that about 4,3 towns and villages in Russia are located in the radioactive contaminated areas after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, with more than 1.5 million residents. Although 29 years have passed, the nightmare caused by the Chernobyl nuclear accident is far from over. First of all, there are still potential safety hazards in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. At present, about 2 tons of nuclear materials are still stored under the "sarcophagus". In recent years, the top of the "sarcophagus" has been tilted, cracks have appeared on the surface, and there is even the danger of collapse. What is more dangerous is that the solid shell can't stop the infiltration of groundwater. The nuclear material in the reactor continues to pollute the surrounding areas with groundwater and endanger the drinking water source in Ukraine. Therefore, this "sarcophagus" was called "a mine with delayed detonation" by the Russian media.

what is even more frightening is that the psychological shadow caused by the nuclear accident is hard to eliminate. "One day in April, 26, a violent earthquake swept through the Ukrainian Yuan Ye in the terrible thunder. Chernobyl's dead zone then expanded rapidly, and for a time, the whole world seemed to be in an inexplicable crisis ... "This is a theme introduction in the latest game" The Shadow of Chernobyl "developed by a Ukrainian company. In the past 2 years since the nuclear leakage tragedy, the nuclear crisis in fantasy games reminds people not to forget the past.

At present, any nuclear-related topic will still touch the sensitive nerves of Ukrainian people, and whether it is necessary to develop nuclear power, how to ensure the safety of nuclear power and how to deal with nuclear waste will cause widespread controversy in Ukrainian society. In order to get rid of its dependence on Russia in the field of nuclear power, at the end of last year, the Ukrainian government decided to cooperate with American companies to build a nuclear waste repository, which caused panic among many people. A local scholar once told reporters that he was worried that the construction of nuclear storage would increase the threat of nuclear pollution in Ukraine.

In Gomel State, Belarus, parents have sent their children to Minsk to attend universities or technical secondary schools, hoping that they will not return to their hometown after graduation. The Belarusian people have even reached the point of talking about the "nuclear" discoloration. Last year, neighboring Lithuania proposed to build a nuclear waste storage site on the border with Belarus, which caused strong protests from all walks of life in Belarus. Opponents believe that "any new nuclear accident will lead Belarus to destruction." In Russia, many people are still worried when they talk about Chernobyl. A Russian friend of the reporter said with emotion: "The nuclear accident will be deeply remembered by Russians and will never be erased." Over the past 29 years, all affected countries have made great efforts to get out of the shadow of Chernobyl as soon as possible. Ukrainian President Yushchenko said recently that Ukraine has invested $15 billion in disaster relief in 2 years. In order to prevent the nuclear material in the reactor from leaking again, Ukraine plans to build a bunker 1 meters high and 25 meters wide on the surface of the sarcophagus, and the project will start in the summer of 26. This "new sarcophagus" will ensure that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant will not leak again in the next 1 years. On March 27, 212, former Ukrainian President Victor? Viktor Yanukovych announced that Ukraine will start construction on April 26th to build a new "sarcophagus" for the No.4 nuclear reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The new sarcophagus will cost 935 million euros (about 7.8 billion yuan), most of which is donated by governments around the world, and the funds provided by Ukraine only account for 6% of the total. On August 2-4, 214, the lower half of the arch (the sarcophagus reported by the media) was successfully raised to 33 meters high after being assembled on the ground, which was an important milestone in coping with the new safety restrictions (NSC) of the long-term treatment plan for nuclear accidents. The second part of the arch contains a large number of steel frames and must be sent to the ground before the whole part is completed. The new sarcophagus built by Ukraine for the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is planned to be used for 1 years.

The Belarusian government has established a nationwide nuclear radiation monitoring network, and built 239 new villages with perfect living facilities for relocated residents in unpolluted areas. More than 1, square kilometers of heavily polluted land has been designated as a nuclear ecological nature reserve, and no one is allowed to live, so only nuclear ecological research can be carried out. Nearly 12, people who participated in the rescue work of the nuclear accident in that year enjoyed special medical care. The state provides free medical care and living allowances for those disabled by nuclear radiation. With April 26th, 26, the 2th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident approaching, a "Chernobyl fever" rose in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

On April 24th, 26, a three-day international academic conference "Looking forward to the future in the 2th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident" opened in Kiev National Grand Theatre. Representatives of international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency and relevant countries attended the meeting. At the opening ceremony, Ukrainian President Yushchenko said that Ukraine will unswervingly fulfill its international obligations. On the opening day of the conference, some environmental organizations in Ukraine held demonstrations outside the venue. People held high slogans such as "Remember Chernobyl" to protest the government's decision to build 22 new nuclear power plants and build a nuclear waste repository in Uzbekistan by 23. On April 26th, Yushchenko will personally go to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its satellite city Slaudzic to attend the commemorative activities. At 9 o'clock that night, a candlelight mourning event will be held throughout Ukraine.

Recently, we often see reports about the serious consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Belarus on TV and newspapers. From April 19th to 21st, the capital Minsk held a large-scale international symposium on "Twenty Years of Chernobyl Nuclear Accident-Strategies for Restoring and Developing the Affected Areas". On April 19th, the photo exhibition "The Pain of Chernobyl" was held in Minsk. On the 21st, White Capital Cinema premiered the documentary "Chernobyl Cross". People are using words like "pain" and "black" to describe the injuries caused by accidents.

Moscow also held a photo exhibition commemorating the 2th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident, which attracted many visitors. One of Russia's largest television stations, Independent Television, broadcast a special documentary commemorating the Chernobyl nuclear accident in prime time on the evening of 24th. The largest circulation newspaper in Russia, * * * Youth Pravda, published a special commemorative article "Chernobyl: 2 Years after Hell" on the 25th. Russian President Vladimir Putin also issued a commendation order for the meritorious officials in the Chernobyl nuclear accident on the 25th. The Chernobyl nuclear accident not only made Ukraine, Belarus and Russia the "hardest hit areas", but also the dust with radioactive substances drifted to Bulgaria, Poland and Germany with the wind ... Most parts of Europe failed to escape the threat of nuclear pollution. Therefore, the Chernobyl nuclear accident is not only a disaster for Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, but also a disaster for Europe and even the whole world.

after the accident, the safety of using nuclear energy by human beings has been questioned. Many countries have shut down their nuclear power plants under the pressure of public opinion, and the development of nuclear energy in the world has fallen into an unprecedented trough. People have had a heated debate about the future development direction of nuclear energy. Today, 25 years later, the world is still under the shadow of nuclear, the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear crisis ... In this context, the arrival of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident naturally attracted the attention of the whole world.

In p>26, the International Atomic Energy Agency opened a special topic on its website to commemorate the 2th anniversary of Chernobyl, telling people the cause of the accident and issuing warnings through a large number of words, pictures and videos. From April 14 to 24, Associated Press published reports continuously, and made a comprehensive analysis of this incident through historical review, current situation introduction, reporter's personal experience, questions and reflections. Agence France-Presse, Reuters, The New York Times and other major media in the world all reported on it, and each of them conveyed people's concern about the safe development and utilization of nuclear energy to the world with its own unique influence.

"For millions of people in the world, Chernobyl symbolizes disaster and destruction, doubt and controversy." This sentence may sum up what the Chernobyl nuclear accident has brought to mankind.