Assessment of the feasibility of returning Chernobyl-affected radioactively contaminated agricultural lands in the Mogilev region of Belarus to agricultural cycle

«Radiation and Risk», 2021, vol. 30, No. 3, pp.21-31

DOI: 10.21870/0131-3878-2021-30-3-21-31

Authors

Miarzlova V.A. – Researcher, Institute of Mineconomics of the Republic of Belarus, Mogilev. Contacts: 35-63, A. Pysin str., Mogilev, Belarus, 212030. Tel.: +375(29)7438746; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
State Research Institute of Economics of the Ministry of economy of the Republic of Belarus, Minsk
Mogilev branch Research Institute of Radiology (RIR), Mogilev, Belarus

Abstract

The nuclear accident at the Chernobyl NPP caused radioactive contamination of large areas of agricultural lands in the Republic of Belarus; 265 thousand hectares of the lands were withdrawn from agricultural turnover. Later 75% of these lands were transferred to forestry enterprises and environmental protection organizations. According to ecological and economic assessments of the feasibility of returning the retiring land in the Mogilev region to full economic activity based on the outcomes of comprehensive inventory of 2014-2016 only 23% of the land areas could be restored. At the same time, due to the irreversible radioactive decay it is possible to assess future positive changes in radiological situation and the possibility of recovering of the land, previously recognized as radioactively dangerous, and returning into the agricultural use. The issues considered in the article aim at the assessment of the future changes in the levels of radiation contamination of local areas and shows the prospects for their further arable and meadow use.

Key words
nuclides, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, specific activity, contamination density, isotope decay, forecast, agricultural production, suitability categories, arable use, meadow use.

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