Chernobyl exclusion zone 23 years after power plant explosion

Views from the Chernobyl exclusion zone twenty three years after the accident at the nuclear power plant. Communities, families and the land are still suffering after the power plant explosions in 1986. Pripyat, Ukraine. 04/06/2009.

On 26 April 1986, the most serious accident in the history of the nuclear industry occurred at Unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the former Ukrainian Republic of the Soviet Union. The Nuclear power plants were presented as being an achievement of Soviet engineers, where nuclear power was harnessed for peaceful projects. The slogan "PEACEFUL ATOM" was popular during those times. But, the explosions that rupture the Chernobyl reactor vessel and the consequent fire that continued for 10 days or so resulted in large amounts of radioactive materials being released into the environment.

The massive accident made the first atomic refugees in Europe. Inhabitant of the villages near the Chernobyl, more than 116,000 people, were permanently evacuated from the area surrounding the nuclear power plant. The town of Pripyat was the biggest town around the area found in 1970 to house the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers, just a few kilometers away from the plants. Its population had been around 50,000 and annual growth of population was estimated at around 1.500 including 800 new-born citizens and over 500 newcomers from all the corners of the Soviet Union. After inhabitant had been evacuated from Pripyat, many of the building interiors in Pripyat have been vandalized and ransacked over the years. Due to the fact that the buildings have not been maintained for over two decades, the roofs leak, and trees can be seen growing on roofs and even inside the buildings. It is totally abandoned town until now days.

Half century-long, Nuclear power is representative as the power of the countries. It was Cold war thinking. Now, Nuclear energy is going to call "The Green new deal". In the United States, President Barack Obama approved the construction and operation of two new nuclear reactors Feb. 2010. Mr. Obama states, "On an issue which affects our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, we cannot continue to be mired in the same old debates between left and right, between environmentalists and entrepreneurs. We'll have to build a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in America." Also Mr. Obama also describes, "To meet our growing energy needs and prevent the worst consequences of climate change, we'll need to increase our supply of nuclear power. It's that simple. Make no mistake: whether it is nuclear energy, or solar or wind energy, if we fail to invest in these technologies today, we'll be importing them tomorrow." He believes Nuclear energy have been already embraced safe, clean, and affordable around the world.

But then you see the abandoned town and impact of the accident, It is very difficult to say nuclear energy is "peaceful atom" or "clean energy". It is just like a change of the political terms from PEACE to ECOLOGY. The land of Chernobyl keeps fighting for the invisible substances next 800 years, until the second Jesus Christ is born, and until he is return. The Chernobyl disaster plays an important role in for us all. Now, A only hazardous sign tells us there is a contaminated areas. (osakabe yasuo)