The stillness was shattered 25 years ago. While it’s been much quieter on the surface since, Pripyat and its Chernobyl nuclear plant have shaken the world to the core.
For the most part, time stands still at Pripyat.
Oddly however, tourism is up at the Chernobyl site. For the mere purchase of a ticket you can tour the surrounding areas and certain parts of the grounds of the famed disaster area. Do so at your own risk because radiation levels are still above levels considered safe for humans.
We're going to tour the inside as thanks to the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper we're getting a first hand look at the one place where a tourist can't purchase a ticket, the sensitive areas guarded by Ukrainian Interior Ministry troops. Komsomolka Pravda newspaper did a tour through the plant last week, including a full walk through.
Chernobyl Reactor #4: this is where the tragedy started. Today, it still holds 9 tons of Plutonium. If you didn't already know, that is a lot. This is the reason for the high level of Interior Ministry troops inside the site. Alexander Novikov, the deputy director of Nuclear and Radiation Safety at Chernobyl explained that only a few kilograms could fuel a nuclear bomb.
So just how secure is Chernobyl? Scientists still have not perfected a total atomic seal, but on site security appears very tight. The plant security plan divides the facility into 8 zones, each with its own security checkpoints. Metal and radiation detection scanners, much like modern airport security, perform a body scan just to pass through. After the scanners there are another 500 turnstiles, each one activated only with special codes. Visitors from the outside are under constant escort by security specialists.
A reporter from Komsomolskaya Pravda posed the obvious question to Evgeniy Katunina, Security Director. Is the government aware of any attempts to steal materials that could be used to make a bomb?
Yes.
Apparently in 1995 several contracted construction workers tried to extract fuel pellets from the site. They were unsuccessful and arrested while still on-site. Security procedures were immediately reviewed and updated and the government says that no attempts have been tried since.
A full staff of Interior ministry troops guards the 9 tons of Plutonium remaining. That is one of the main issues--still water cooled and apparently there are more modern ways to deal with that but Ukraine simply doesn't have the money for that right now.
Despite all the scanners and checkpoints, is Chernobyl really secure? Given Ukraine's financial woes, security forces are running 3 months behind in pay. Also consider that the average security salary at Chernobyl is around 2600 Ukrainian Hryvna ($330) compared to janitors at the plant who earn an average of 3,500 Hryvna ($440). It doesn't take much to imagine the risks associated with that scenario.
Ukraine is raising capital for new and safer technology by selling tickets to guided tours around the perimeter of the plant.
While radiation levels are higher than normal still, wildlife like foxes, deer and fish have survived. People have survived too. A small community of mostly senior citizens chose to remain.
photos1- Chernobyl tourist by Аlex Sirota.
2- by Komsomolskaya Pravda
3- photo credit as required:
www.pripyat.com4- photo credit as required:
www.pripyat.com 5- by Komsomolskaya Pravda
6- photo credit as required:
www.pripyat.com7- photo credit as required:
www.nuclearflower.com8- photo credit as required:
www.nuclearflower.com
