President on development of Chernobyl-affected areas: We need to clearly understand where people will live

24 апреля 2021

During these days, Belarus commemorates the Chernobyl tragedy, which  happened 35 years ago. The consequences affected many European countries, including Ukraine, Russia and especially Belarus. Our country had to confront the tragedy alone. In the 90's it was proposed to give up on these lands and people, turning a huge part of the country into desolate wastelands, but our President was totally against it: this is our land and we must revive it.

The state has allocated and continues to allocate enormous funds to rehabilitate the affected territories and provide targeted assistance to people. Today, on the eve of the anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, the affected regions were traditionally visited by the President.

First, Alexander Lukashenko visited the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve. These are the lands of Khoiniki, Narovlya and Bragin districts. Today, clean products are grown there, the appearance of towns and villages is changing. People live and work on their land. And now it is necessary to create all conditions for them. A new program will be developed for these territories by summer. 

By the way, a couple of years ago Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree opening the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve for tourists. There are several routes to get familiar with the Belarusian exclusion zone. The beauty of the Belarusian Polesie is mesmerizing. Looking at these pictures, you would hardly believe that 35 years ago the land was affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Hazardous isotopes hit nearly a quarter of the country. 140,000 people had to permanently change their residence. At that time, many people didn't believe that Belarusians would be able to cope with the tragedy. In the 90s, our President took a firm decision to reclaim the affected areas. Much was done to restore life in the damaged lands. The main thing is that several decades later the issue is no longer about rehabilitation of the lands, but about their development. Beautiful Belarusian Polesie today is a paradise for agro-tourism, and fertile soils of the south of the country allow growing many food products.

The southernmost district center of Gomel Region, Narovlya is just 80 km off the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Over 8,000 people now live there. The first thing that catches your eye is neat building facades, new high-rise buildings, a hospital and 3 schools. Although Narovlya is one of the areas affected by the Chernobyl accident, there is a demographic boom there. Women are not afraid to have children.

Alexander Lukashenko annually visits the regions that, one way or another, were affected by the consequences of the accident. Almost all districts of Gomel Region were contaminated with radionuclides. It is not just a tradition for the President to come here personally, but a sincere and partial attitude to these lands.

Visitors are of course amazed by the local beauty, as well as by the cordiality and talent of the local residents. These people have golden hands in straw weaving, wood carving and other crafts.