Today marks 21 years since the accident at Chernobyl. We are now having a second generation born and living their lives in radioative contamination! There are many sites on the net to go to for information on the accident and it’s aftermath. A simple Google search will give you plenty to read. Here is a link with a Belarussian perspective.

When we arrived in Belarus this year we stopped at the offices of “Hope for the Future”, one of CAC’s partners located in Minsk. They had this map on the wall. It shows the areas of contamination with the darker shading representing more severe radiation.

Here is a close-up of the region that we spend most of our time. I have added the English names to Mogilev, Chausy and Kostukovichi.

On our drive to Kostukovichi we pass through the evacuation zone where no one is supposed to live. Here is a shot of me standing next to a warning sign. It is easy to see why people would want to return or reluctant to move as there is no way to sense any sort of problem. Note the overgrown building in the background:

The next 2 shots were taken from the window of the van as our driver really did not want to stop in the zone:

Most of the houses and buildings have been bulldozed and buried as people were removing articles and materials to use at home and of course these items are severely contaminated.

This road was once completely closed but it is now open as it is the most direct route to Moscow from the Mogilev region.

Eric