35 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, specialists from Ukraine and Germany are re-mapping the radioactivity in the “exclusion zone”. A full measurement like this was last done in the 1980s.
The area of the exclusion zone around the nuclear power plant is more than 2,500 square kilometers. Experts measure radiation from a height of 100 meters using two helicopters and two drones. They can’t get any closer, because the radiation level directly above the sarcophagus, which surrounds the nuclear reactor, is still dangerously high.
Work will continue until Friday. The results will be presented at a conference in April 2022.
Still uninhabitable
The Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in April 1986 as a result of an incorrectly conducted test: errors caused an overreaction. A fire broke out, after which a radioactive cloud affected large areas of the Soviet republics of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. Tens of thousands of residents of the nearby city of Pripyat were evacuated and the area around the radioactive ruin was sealed off.
The area is still officially uninhabitable, but Ukraine wants to use the area more economically. For example, it is accessible to tourists and the country would like to see the area included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
