Life in the Exclusion Zone
On April 26, 1986, the biggest nuclear accident in mankind's history has happened at Reactor block 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It happened during an experiment, which was intended to test a possible cooling method in an emergency situation. After enormous efforts in decontaminating and repairs, block 1, 2 and 3 resumed its operation until 2000 when the last block was decommissioned. More than 30,000 people were evacuated within 36 hours after the disaster from what is known as the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The zone covers a territory of 2,600 km2 (the Ukrainian side), where 96 evacuated villages, towns and cities are located. In terms of radiation safety, there are 3 areas within the zone: the buffer 30 Km area, the internal more polluted 10 Km area and a liveable area, where the Chernobyl personnel lives and stays in weekly shifts and the 'Samosely' or self settlers that live there permanently. 'Samosely' are residents of the 30 Km area where there present is tolerated insofar they were living there before the accident in 1986. Less than 200 are still alive and are mainly well over 75 years and women. As the zone is large they live mostly isolated one of the other. Most remain in the zone even during the winter months, their children and grand children live outside the zone in nearby cities or Kyiv. Samosely have all in common that they wish to remain on their ancestral lands despite all odds and challenges. A photograph of the exploded reactor number 4 dated shortly after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on 26 April 1986. Chernobyl Museum, Slavutych, Ukraine, August 2021
?David Verberckt/2021