New York, 26 April 2022 (TDI): The United Nations has declared April 26 as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day.
The day has been designated to remember the impact of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 and the consequences of managing nuclear energy in general.
While sharing the message of solidarity with the accident victims, the UN said that the victims should not be forgotten. It is regarded as the most significant nuclear accident in the world.
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Nearly 8.4 million people in three countries were exposed to radiation due to the explosion. Thirty-one people died due to the explosion, and 4000 death were expected due to exposure to the radiation.
Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes and resettle after the accident.
The remembrance day was first observed on the 30th anniversary of the accident in 2016.
The explosion led to a radioactive cloud over large parts of the former Soviet Union, now territories with Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. In 2019, 45 Nations raised $2.2 billion to complete a safe confinement shelter in the affected area.
Founder of the Chernobyl Children International, Adi Roche, called for efforts to bring renewal and recommitment to discover new means and initiatives to alleviate further the suffering of the people in the affected stricken lands. He delivered a speech to the UN-General Assembly.
On April 26, 1986, a nuclear reactor in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union, today’s Ukraine, experienced an explosion and fire.
The accident resulted in the release of unprecedented levels of radioactive materials into the atmosphere. The short-term results of the accident resulted in 31 casualties; however, the long-term effects of the explosion are extensive snd will prevail for many generations.
Several studies have been conducted at the site of accidents to determine the health and environmental problems caused by accidents. Thyroid cancer in children is one of the leading health issues in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
To support the re-establishment of the affected areas, the UN launched International Chernobyl Research and Information Network in 2009.
