President: Significant progress achieved in rehabilitation of territories affected by Chernobyl accident

16 июня 2017

By Andrei Krivosheyev: Significant progress has been achieved in the rehabilitation of the territories affected by the Chernobyl accident, as pointed out by the President during his working trip to the south of the Gomel region, where the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve, the country’s largest nature protection zone, is located.

Belarus has invested tens of billions of dollars in these lands over the 30-year recovery period so that the once evacuated settlements could begin participating in the country’s economic life again. It has even been suggested to change the reserve’s boundaries. A total of 700 hectares of former farmlands are used for scientific purposes to extract pure honey, grow crops, produce fodder and even food products that fully comply with sanitary norms.

An important role in the revival movement is played the President’s instructions as Alexander Lukashenko often visits the areas affected by the disaster. Today he has visited the reserve’s laboratory, apiary and horse farm. Deviating from the planned route, the President made a stop in a village abandoned by its residents 30 years ago.

The Polesie State Radioecological Reserve has already become a world laboratory for studying man-made disasters, experts from Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, the United States and Japan coming there to adopt new experience and unique technologies. There are plans to set up a major research center for rehabilitating problem lands.