The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) considers Belarus an expert in overcoming the consequences of radiation accidents. First Deputy Head of the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Department of the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry (Gosatomnadzor) Leonid Dedul mentioned it in BelTA’s project The Nation Speaks.
Scientific support, especially in the first years after the Chernobyl accident, was important both for protective measures and for the development of the regions exposed to radioactive contamination.
“With the start of the implementation of the first nuclear energy program of the Republic of Belarus, we reviewed and expanded the circle of scientific organizations providing scientific and technical support for regulatory activities in the field of ensuring nuclear and radiation safety. This list, approved by a government resolution, includes 18 experienced organizations that have long worked on Chernobyl-related matters, including the scientific division of our Polesie State Radioecological Reserve, the International Sakharov Environmental Institute of BSU, institutes of the National Academy of Sciences, including the Joint Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research Sosny,” said Leonid Dedul.
Scientific work was carried out within the framework of six state programs aimed at implementing measures related to the Chernobyl accident. “These measures have been included by us in the state scientific and technical program Radiation Safety Infrastructure. More fundamental scientific work related to the development of nuclear energy is part of the Academy of Sciences’ state program Science for the Society and the Economy. There are a number of tasks that we have formulated and plan to implement during the upcoming five-year period. Results of scientific work allow us to make timely management decisions and submit them to the government, including for revising population centers and returning agricultural lands to use. Since 1993 more than 20,000 hectares have been brought back into agricultural use,” he noted.
This year also marks the start of the IAEA project “Improving the safe management of nuclear legacy sites”. “This concept appeared for the first time in the field of nuclear and national security in 2023. Such facilities include, among others, the territory of the Polesie State Radioecological Reserve. This project also provides for the implementation of measures related to enhancing the capabilities of the reserve’s scientific division and conducting work,” said Leonid Dedul.
In his words, the IAEA is interested in working with Belarus and considers the Republic of Belarus an expert in overcoming the consequences of radiation accidents thanks to the work carried out by all scientific organizations, in particular in the Polesie reserve.
“In regulatory documents we proceed from the principles of nuclear and radiation safety stipulated by IAEA documents, which were used in the preparation of the law on safety regulation in the use of atomic energy, the amendment of the law on radiation safety, and regulatory documents of the Emergencies Ministry. This allows us to comprehensively and consistently prioritize safety when working with nuclear heritage facilities and nuclear energy across all regulatory documents,” he emphasized.
Apart from that, scientific work makes it possible to improve the quality of medical services. Measures for their provision are also stipulated by the future Union State program for 2026-2029.
