Public monitoring of environmental impact of Belarus’ NPP kicks off in Belarus

Belarus has launched a project to conduct public monitoring of the environmental impact of the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP), BelTA learnt from the Belarusian public association Environmental Initiative.

“The public monitoring project was initiated by a number of Belarusian environmental organizations with a view to compiling a database and raising awareness of the people of Belarus and other countries about the background radiation and the environmental impact of the Belarusian nuclear power plant,” Chairman of the association Yuri Solovyov explained.

On 14-18 October volunteers of not-for-profit organizations together with specialists of the National Center for Radiation Control and Environmental Monitoring of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection are testing soil, air and water in the area of the Ostrovets NPP.

They will select and test the oil and air samples for Caesium-137 and Strontium-90 and measure gamma-radiation in Ostrovets and the villages of Gozy and Trokeniki, Ostrovets District, and on the NPP construction site.

Yuri Solovyov noted that the data that will be obtained during the tests will allow exercising public control over the environmental safety of the NPP and will become the basis for an independent monitoring of the impact of the nuclear power plant on the environment and human health.

Talks are in progress about participation of Lithuanian, Russian and Ukrainian environmental NGOs in the project.

The information about the results of the public monitoring will be distributed using mass media and discussed at roundtable sessions and seminars that are to be held during the project implementation. A seminar to discuss the results of the project is to be arranged in Lithuania.