Social, economic, institutional and political impacts
A background paper on Chernobyl's socio-economic, institutional, and political impact was prepared by high-level officials of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine and discussed at the International Conference*. The various countermeasures taken by the authorities, some of them to address radiation hazards, created many social and economic problems. Some problems identified in the paper follow:
- Immediately after the accident 116,000 people had to be
evacuated. Further, between 1990 and the end of 1995, almost
210,000 additional people were resettled. A new town, Slavutich,
was built for the personnel of the Chernobyl plant to replace
Pripyat, which had to be evacuated.
- Complete villages had to be decontaminated and major work on
infrastructure, such as gas and water supply networks and sewage
systems was carried out. The loss of Chernobyl Unit 4 together
with the halt on construction of new reactors, hampered
electricity supplies.
- There was major disruption to normal life and economic
activity in the affected areas. In particular, agricultural and
forestry production was severely disturbed and large production
losses were incurred. Compensation was granted to agricultural
enterprises, co-operatives and the population at large for losses
of crops, animals and possessions. Moreover, monetary payments
were made to different sectors of the population - for example,
to purchase imported foodstuffs to replace home-grown produce.
- The control measures limited industrial and commercial
activities. It was difficult to sell or export products, leading
to a fall in local incomes. Also, the perception of an "unsafe"
life in the affected areas and of the unavailability of "clean"
products have held back industrial and commercial investment.
- Restrictions on customary activities made everyday life
difficult and unsettling. Anxiety, distress, fatalistic attitudes
and a kind of "victim" mentality grew among the population and
are still prevalent in the affected areas.
- Significant demographic changes in the region due
to emigration - particularly among young people - and the
subsequent shift in the birth rate have led to shortages of young
skilled workers and professionals.
- After the accident, a transformation from a centrally planned to a market economy started in the affected countries. This difficult transformation was complicated by the need to deal with the consequences of the accident.
* Rolevich, I.V.; Kenik, I.A.; Babosov, E.M.; and Lych, G.M.; Voznyak, U.V.; Kholosha, V.I.; Koval'skij, N.G.; and Babich, A.A. Background paper 6 on the Social, Economic, and Institutional Impact, in the Proceedings of the Chernobyl Conference being published by the IAEA.