31 Years On, Chernobyl Plant Still Leaks, Kills and Plagues

It will take at least another 24,000 years for the area around Chernobyl plant to be habitable again.

Abandoned photo albums next to a gas mask in the nuclear township of Chernobyl, 3 kms from the nuclear plant. (Photo: Reuters)                                                                             

A systems test in Reactor Number 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant went horribly wrong on April 26, 1986. Two consecutive power surges led to an explosion and ignition of the reactor. Radiation, around 400 times more than that released during the Hiroshima atomic bombing, was released into the atmosphere.

Scientists say it will take at least another 24,000 years for the 2,600 square kilometre exclusion zone around the reactor to be even remotely habitable. An estimated 9,85,000 people have died till date due to the long-term effects of the radiation in the air they breathe, the water they drink, the trees, the meat, the soil – everything.

Also Read: Pripyat, Ukraine: A Chilling Reminder of the Chernobyl Disaster

(This article was first published on 26 April 2016. It is being reposted from The Quint’s archives to mark the 31st anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.)