ENDURING ECHO OF CHERNOBYL

Quite recently Belarus commemorated twentieth anniversary of the catastrophe at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. They have been speaking much, on the top level including, about the measures taken for the most efficient post-disaster cleanup. It was said there are no grounds for concern, “emotions should be left in the past”, etc. In other words, the authorities do their best to diminish importance of the Chernobyl problem. This is manifested in canceling of benefits for people from contaminated areas, cutting down of health-improvement programs for children from contaminated areas, in restoring of agricultural production on a great part of these areas (by the way, foodstuffs produced here are mixed with other ones and distributed around all territory of Belarus), in encouraging of re-settlers to come back to their houses in contaminated areas. In fact, the problem of Chernobyl has been lately taken off the official agenda.

Have Belarusians forgotten the Chernobyl tragedy? Have they taken it out from their personal agendas? How do they assess actions of the authorities in this regards?

As the research has revealed, 41% of respondents feel anxiety and another 41% - uneasiness about the effects of the Chernobyl catastrophe and only 16.2% say they are “not much concerned about this.” These aren’t mere words speaking about momentary mood (which often happens during opinion polls) but their true attitude. Thus, after the catastrophe almost every third citizen decreased or stopped consuming products which can accumulate radioactive elements (mushrooms, wood berries, meat broths from cattle bones, etc.). More than 85% of respondents say that their health and health of their relatives aggravated after the Chernobyl catastrophe.

The majority is very critical about actions of the authorities on post-disaster cleanup. Only 28.3% of respondents agree that any crops planted at the territories which suffered from the Chernobyl catastrophe can be used for food provided there’s strict control and technology observation. A third of the polled says that only some crops can be used even under strict control and technology observation while 35.3% are convinced that no crops from these areas can be used for food. Furthermore, almost 69% of respondents don’t agree with cancellation of benefits for people from contaminated areas so as to save funds for the state budget (this figure is manifold higher than the number of the people receiving such benefits). Also, only 23.8% support president’s proposal “to take under strict state control health-improving trips of children from contaminated areas on the grounds that children come back after those trips with a changed outlook.” More than 53% of the polled spoke out in the opposite on this issue. In the opinion of a third of respondents, Belarusian NGO’s (like For Children of Chernobyl and other) made the greatest contribution into organization of health-improving trips for the children from contaminated areas. Another third of respondents think that this is mainly the work of foreign countries (first of all, Germany). Less than a quarter of respondents pointed out to contribution of the Belarusian authorities. It is no wonder as well that only 17.9% are totally satisfied with post-disaster cleanup carried by the Belarusian authorities while over 40% of the polled are satisfied partially and another third are totally dissatisfied with it.

As the analysis shows, the degree of satisfaction with actions of authorities on post-disaster cleanup is getting a strong ground for Belarusians to re-assess social and political situation in the country (See Table 1).

As one can see from these data, the echo of Chernobyl catastrophe will still for a long influence lives, thoughts and feelings of millions of Belarusians. How and when will it echo?..

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