April 26, 2026, marks 40 years since the largest man-made disaster of the 20th century – the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This date has special significance for Belarus: our country suffered a significant blow, with approximately 23% of its territory contaminated with radionuclides, and over 265,000 hectares of land withdrawn from use. Over the past decades, Belarus has accomplished a tremendous amount of work to overcome the consequences of the accident and restore the affected regions.
Real Facts about the Consequences for Belarus
- As a result of the disaster, large areas of the Gomel and Mogilev regions were covered in a radioactive cloud. The main hazardous radionuclides are cesium-137, strontium-90, and plutonium isotopes. Over 40 years, due to natural decay, cesium and strontium contamination levels have been reduced by approximately half, and background radiation in most areas has returned to safe levels. However, the plutonium problem will remain relevant for many millennia due to its long half-life.
- The country has created and operates one of the most modern radiation monitoring systems in Europe. Belarus has 120 air, soil, and water monitoring stations, as well as automated monitoring systems near nuclear facilities.
- Thanks to consistent government policy, more than 20,500 hectares of previously contaminated land have been returned to agricultural use, infrastructure is being developed, new residential areas are being built, and medical rehabilitation and support programs for the population of the affected regions are being implemented.
- Particular attention is being paid to informing citizens: all agricultural produce undergoes multi-stage radiation monitoring, and residents of contaminated areas are educated on how to farm environmentally safely.
The Chernobyl tragedy has become a lesson for all humanity. Belarus is proud that it was able not only to cope with the consequences of the disaster but also to create an effective emergency prevention and response system.
Today, 40 years later, Belarus continues to restore the affected lands, care for people's health, and pass on the memory of the liquidators' heroism to new generations. Our task is to prevent such disasters from happening again and to protect the peaceful skies above!
You can monitor the radiation situation in Belarus in real time at rad.org.by
