Black Rain

Belarus has absorbed most of the Chernobyl radiation; "black rain" has played an important role in this.

After the explosion of the nuclear power plant in 1986, the Soviet Air Force flew over the radiation cloud and projected shells, fitted with silver iodide. They created artificial rain, so as to avoid fallout drifting to Moscow, the most important and densely populated part of the Soviet Union. This meant that 70% of the fallout landed in Belarus, at the expense of 22% of the surface area of that country. Especially Gomel and Mogilev, both in the east of Belarus, were heavily hit.

Alexey, whose home has already been pulled down, looks at the sky and recalls: "I was working in the garden. It was quite sunny, but also quite windy. The dust was blown about as if in waves for about an hour. And not long after that it rained, but the raindrops were actually black."

Russia denies the use of artificial rain to control the impact of the Chernobyl disaster. However, several Soviet pilots have come forward to prove that their conduct with regard to creating artificial rain led to them being awarded medals by the Soviet Union.

The stricken areas of Belarus are more closed than stricken areas in Ukraine, such as Pripyat, which is now a small town open to tour groups. On the boundary of the official disaster area there are "no entry" signs. Once you have entered, you will be punished with 10-50 Belarusian penalty units (based on the standards of January 2015, with one unit accounting for 180,000 Belarusian rubles), with a maximum fine of 630 American dollars. The official disaster areas are only open on the Monday and Tuesday after Easter, two days meant for memorial purposes.

Liquidator

The word "liquidator" made its appearance after Chernobyl.

After the explosion, the neighbourhood of the nuclear power plant needed urgent rescue. According to statistics of the Physicians of Chernobyl, at least 830,000 people took part in the rescue and clean-up. They helped extinguish fires, provided emergency medical assistance, removed radioactive contaminants, evacuated residents, culled livestock and did other work. According to official records of the Soviet authorities, there are 600,000 of these “liquidators”, all of whom were awarded blue medals and decorations.

Most liquidators were volunteers, who had no radiation protection equipment. They were exposed to radiation doses as high as 10 mSv, and up to 1 Sv. They went in with their bare hands, unaware of the danger. After they had completed the mandatory work, some people voluntarily extended their liquidation period. Others bribed officials with spirits in order to gain sick leave or a medal.

According to Soviet statistics, 31 liquidators died in the same year, 28 of whom died of high radiation doses. In 2010, a book published by the New York Academy of Science estimated that by 2005, as many as 110,000 to 120,000 liquidators had passed away.

If they live to see the day of their retirement, the Belarusian liquidators can enjoy an extra 5% allowance on top of their pension. However, by the time they retire, many of the liquidators find that the registration documents that they had twenty years ago have already mysteriously disappeared from the public agencies.

Until today, there are still some people who need to enter the Chernobyl disaster area to construct the sarcophagus that seals off the reactor.

Seclusion

After the Belarus residents had been evacuated, there was nothing in the disaster area other than dirt and grass. Wild animals which had been long gone started to appear.

Wild wolves, beavers, brown bears, bobcats, eagles, and even endangered European bisons and Przevalski horses have all left traces. In the Belarusian designated ecological protection areas, hunting is prohibited.

The Belarusian national bird, the white stork, nests on top of electricity poles. The nests overlook a patch of colourful wild flowering shrubs - blue cornflower, purple willow dishes, white lilly of the valley, goldilocks, green clover, blue flax, red safflower berries - the whole forms an animated picture.

However, the degree of resistance and the health of each creature remains to be observed. A study reported that the biodiversity in the disaster area is decreasing. A study of swallows, for example, has found that their reproductive success rate and the survival rate within the stricken area are lower than outside. The nest return rate of swallows has also been shown to be 12% lower than outside the area.

People who have returned to the disaster area face the risks that come with coexisting with wild animals. For example, the wolves wandering outside the houses not only eat crops. They also attack humans.

1986.04.26

On Saturday the 26th of April 1986, at 1:23 am, the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located in northern Ukraine on the Belarusian border, exploded. It caused a huge fire and released nearly 200 million Ci of radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere. In order to avoid panic in society, the Soviet government concealed the disaster for two days.

Two thousand kilometres away, unusual levels of radiation were noticed in dozens of countries in Europe and Asia. Sweden started to investigate where the radiation originated, and there were indications that it was Chernobyl. However, the Soviet Union did not confirm it. As of today, there are still sporadic protests in France, condemning the government for concealing the fact that France was polluted as well. The public was misled by statements of the government that “the fallout stopped at the Italian border." Food consumption restrictions were also looser than those of neighbouring countries, leading to health issues afterwards.

While 350,000 Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians were moved out of their homes, 830,000 people were forced to enter the disaster area to provide assistance. It is estimated that Chernobyl led to the deaths of at least 9,000 people. Today, many citizens, including newborn babies, suffer from disabilities. Since information and statistics about the nuclear disaster still haven't been made transparent, it is still difficult to estimate how many people were affected. Doctors have revealed that the authorities prohibited cancer diagnoses from being linked to Chernobyl. International organisations wished to enter the affected countries to assist with the reconstruction, but they were not supported by the government.

On a monumental plaque by the river Pripyat in Belarus, there is an inscription: "remember these abandoned villages", followed by the names of fourty villages. Each year on the days when the area is opened, former residents who were evicted from their houses in 1986 return to their old homes; they sit beside the graves of their loved ones to have picnics.