From mitigation of Chernobyl aftermath to development and improvement

35 years ago the word Chernobyl was associated worldwide with one of the major man-made disasters in the history of mankind. For many years Belarus has been carefully trying to restore this territory, and most importantly, to dispel prejudices that there's no future there.

It was a huge effort to restore life in those areas. But by joint efforts, Belarus has managed to cope with it. And now from liquidation of consequences we are moving to a new level, to development and improvement.

Health improvement, clean water, new roads, development of medicine, breeding and agriculture. The state program is updated every five years. During a recent trip to Bragin, the President set a task to prepare a new program for the districts of Gomel Region by September. It will be similar to the one that is currently operating in the south-eastern part of Mogilev Region, which has already proved its effectiveness. The main thing is that the living standards in the affected districts must not be worse than in other regions of the country.

Bragin is one of the regions that took the heaviest hit after the Chernobyl accident. Until 1986, it was the region that had been given great hopes. Industry, agriculture was developing, large villages were being built. After the accident at Chernobyl, everything changed - people moved away, the enterprises were shut down. The same thing happened to the other affected areas.

This tragedy was a terrible trial for the Belarusians. But we have survived! During a requiem meeting in Bragin, where we honored the memory of the liquidators, the President said simply: the Chernobyl disaster made us stronger. It united the Belarusians. No matter how hard it was, we always found time and resources to help people in the region and to restore the affected lands.

Belarus was left practically alone with its problems. For 35 years, we did a great job together, to bring back the life here as it was before.

More than 2 million rubles was allocated for the reconstruction of Narovlya Central District Hospital Last year. The territory was landscaped, attention was also paid to technical facilities, hidden from people's eyes, but important in daily life. The town continues to work on updating water networks, and installation of deferrization stations. The task is to reach a 100% supply of quality drinking water. The construction in the southern region is also in progress.

One of the promising areas for the development of these territories is logging and woodworking. This is what the President spoke about at the meeting in Bragin. Small and medium enterprises with well-paid jobs are being set up. There is a lot of wood, and all wood cut is subjected to the obligatory radiological control. Good conditions are created. Everything else depends on the persistence and enterprising of businessmen.

A special state program was developed to mitigate the aftermath of the accident in Belarus. This year it has been renewed for the 6th time. In 35 years, more than 19 billion dollars was allocated for managing the Chernobyl issues. During a visit to the Chernobyl lands on the eve of the anniversary, the President set a task for the government to work out a new program aimed at development, similar to the one that is currently in effect in the south-east of Mogilev Region.

The emphasis will be placed on forestry, refusal from gas in favor of electricity; attention will also be paid to agriculture, which plays a significant role in the economy of the districts, first of all to the efficient use of the Polesie State Radiation and Ecological Reserve. 35 years after, this territory starts a new life.