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« on: July 07, 2023, 10:33:52 AM »
And, actually, people do live in Chornobyl.
The Soviet authorities established 2 zones centred on the reactor; at 10 km radius, and at 30 km radius.
Prior to the Russian invasion, these zones and checkpoints continued to be maintained, administered and monitored by Ukraine. The 10 km zone has the most severe contamination and was declared uninhabitable, due to the backround radiation and the multitude of hotspots. The 10 km zone includes the now abandoned city of Pripyat, 3 km from the reactor, which is where the famous derelict apartments, hotels and funfair are located. Prior to Feb 2022 it could be visited by tourists (like me, 2021). Day-trippers are obliged to wear a dosimeter which is monitored at the end of your visit; tour guides, workers and security personnel are more rigidly monitored, and all vehicles are decontaminated on departure.
The town of Chornobyl is actually about 15 km from the reactor, hence inside the 30-zone, but outside the 10-zone. It continues to house security and maintenance personnel. Although it is permanently occupied, personnel work on a shift-basis of a few weeks on site, alternating with a similar period elsewhere. The workers are there to maintain the infrastructure, but mainly to continue processing fuel rods from the other, decomisssioned, reactors.
Since the Incident, the residual ground based radiation gradually percolated down into the soil, so presented a reducing hazard when walking or driving on concrete.
Then, of course, Russia drove its tank batallions across the terrain, and put everything back to 1986.