Population of radionuclide-contaminated areas shrinks by 1.6 percent in year
Ekaciaryna Šmialova
April 26, Pozirk. The number of people living in the areas of Belarus contaminated with radionuclides has decreased by 1.6 percent over the past year.
Łarysa Basałaj, an official with the Ministry of Emergency Management, told reporters in Minsk that more than 930,000 people, including 185,000 children, lived in 2,000 settlements in contaminated areas at the beginning of the year.
According to Biełstat, 945,100 people, including 189,000 children, lived there on January 1, 2023.
Another ministry official, Ekaciaryna Šmialova, said the government is to spend more than 150 million rubels ($45.86 million) in 2024 to reclaim the affected areas and implement protective measures.
She added that 248,800 hectares of contaminated land is out of agricultural production. Most of it is now covered with forests.
According to her, only 20,000 hectares have been put back into agricultural use since the Chernobyl disaster.
Also read: Nearly 40 years after nuclear disaster, radioactive substances still dangerous, scientist says
