𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟖: 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐲𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧-𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 After finding out about the blooming wildlife in #Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) in Part 7 of this series, it’s time to discover blooming tourism in this place. One of the biggest pieces of evidence that unveils the fear of radiation in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is Ukraine opening it for tourism in 2011. In fact, the President of #Ukraine @ZelenskyyUa signed a Decree in 2019 intending to make the exclusion zone as the protagonist of the new Ukraine. "The Decree will begin the transformation of the Exclusion Zone into one of the growth points of a new Ukraine. First of all, we will create a green corridor for tourists and remove preconditions for corruption," the President noted during his visit to Chernobyl on July 10, 2019. The Ukrainian government has a dedicated portal to facilitate tourism in the exclusion zone. There are many private tour operators, too, who facilitate this visit. However, these tours are temporarily suspended due to a full scale war between Russia and Ukraine from 2022. A large area of the exclusion zone also falls into Belarus. While the country was not the first-mover in promoting tourism in the region, it has gradually realised its relevance. “Unlike Ukraine, who in 2011 opened Pripyat and Chernobyl towns, as well as its part of the exclusion zone for tourists, we didn’t rush to commercialize our part of the Reserve, but Chernobyl tourism can help earn money here in Belarus as well,” said Anatoly Bondarenko, the Head of the Chernobyl-affected Khoiniki District. In November 2018 Belarus opened its part of the exclusion zone, “Polesie State Radioecological Reserve”, to organised tourist groups, who can visit bee and horse farms, bison feeding grounds, as well as have short works around abandoned villages. A total of 46,136 tourists visited Chernobyl in 2017 that rose to 71,869 in 2018 and shot up to 1.24 lakh in 2019. Even as the Covid-induced lockdown halted the entire world, 36,450 tourists still visited the exclusion zone in 2020. The number increased to 73,086 in 2021 before it was closed due to war in 2022, according to Statista. In the last part of the series, we will discover how the Chernobyl area is planning to be a powerhouse again. @iaeaorg @stats_feed @WorldNuclear @davestorylytics #Chernobyl #ChernobylAccident #Ukraine #Russia #NuclearPowerPlant #ReactorSafety #Europe #Radiation #NuclearPolicies #NuclearSafety #ReactorSafety #MajorAccident #IAEA #IYNS #IndianYouthNuclearSociety #NuclearNews #WorldNuclearNews #Chernobyltour

Part 7: Chernobyl reborn-Thriving wildlife in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone From the #US to #Greece and from #Russia to #Australia, the incidence of #ForestFires erupts from time to time. Forests get scorched, wildlife is thrown to devastation, birds out-migrate and the place looks lifeless for months and sometimes years. But nature has its own way of healing and it always does. Green shoots of life emerge, #wildlife return, chirping of birds is once again heard and the ecosystem drags itself to normalcy. Once the most #radioactive spot on earth, the #ChernobylExclusionZone (#CEZ), is also undergoing these magical transformations. Wildlife has not only returned but flourishing where humans were even skeptical of looking back. Chernobyl has now become a living laboratory. “The CEZ is a fascinating example of nature’s power to rebound from degradation,” said Tim Christophersen, head of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Nature for Climate Branch. The area now represents the third-largest nature reserve in mainland Europe and has become an iconic experiment in rewilding, the @UNEP report added. A #census of wildlife in the exclusion zone has revealed that the number of moose, roe deer, red deer and wild boar living in the zone are similar to numbers in nearby uncontaminated nature reserves. In fact, the census data on wolves in CEZ indicated that they are seven times greater in number than those living in the nearby reserves. But, how? Radiation did not end lives; it ended human interference in the region. This made a conducive environment for the wildlife to flourish in the so-called accidental reserve. Apart from this many studies have found out that some species have developed cancer-resistant genes through natural selection. Research has identified specific parts of their genome that are resilient to cancer-causing effects, and their immune systems show similarities to those of cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment. Know about #BlueDogsOfChernobyl in the comments. Recently, blue dogs have been spotted to be in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone by #DogsofChernobyl team of the non-profit organization, @CleanFutureFund . They said, “We do not know the reason, and we are attempting to catch them so we can find out what is happening". Most likely they're getting into some sort of chemical. Although the reason is still not clear, but experts are saying it might be because they got in contact with some chemical. Similar incident has also been reported in the former Soviet Union. In 2021, residents of #Dzerzhinsk, Russia, were shocked to find a pack of bright blue dogs roaming the streets near an abandoned chemical plant. Apparently, it was because they got in contact with chemicals, like copper sulphate from a nearby factory. The thriving life within the Exclusion Zone stands as a compelling symbol that nature heals, science evolves, and humanity must move forward. @iaeaorg @WorldNuclear @davestorylytics #Chernobyl #ChernobylAccident #Ukraine #Russia #NuclearPowerPlant #ReactorSafety #Europe #Radiation #NuclearPolicies #NuclearSafety #ReactorSafety #MajorAccident #IAEA #IYNS #IndianYouthNuclearSociety #Chernobyldogs #dogsofchernobyl #BlueDog #NuclearNews #WorldNuclearNews #trending

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔: 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐲𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 Let’s understand how the #Chernobyl accident molded the nuclear industry in terms of safety. The Chernobyl accident brought in light the need for some policy shifts and advanced safety systems. One of them was to use the nuclear facility separately for power and defence purposes. Previously, the governments used the same facility that led to distrust and non-transparency. Besides, the advanced safety systems that were deployed after the accident were the passive safety systems and the containment that could act as a fortress and thus hard to break. The passive safety systems use natural forces like gravity, heat convection, and pressure differences to shut down the reactor and keep it cool during an emergency. It eliminates the need for external power or human intervention. On other hand, the containments were ensured to withstand internal and external accidents so that the probability of the release of radioactive material can be minimised to the lowest level. The Chernobyl accident gave the world a learning that perception management plays a vital role, irrespective of how scientific a theory is. This is important because fear spreads faster than light. This corroborates with one of India’s greatest poets Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s lines that mean, “𝑂𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑡; 𝑇𝑤𝑜 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑑- 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑑𝑒.” #ChernobylAccident #Ukraine #Russia #NuclearPowerPlant #NPP #ReactorSafety #Europe #Radiation #NuclearPolicies #NuclearSafety #SevereAccident #MajorAccident #IAEA #IYNS #IndianYouthNuclearSociety #DaveStorytylics @DAEIndia @iaeaorg @WorldNuclear @davestorylytics Read the earlier part of the data driven highlights of the Chernobyl Accident in the linked posts.

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝟓: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐲𝐥 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 As we continue our journey through Chernobyl's data-driven story, this week we turn to perhaps the most visible legacy of the disaster: how it fundamentally reshaped the global energy landscape. We've already explored how the accident unfolded through cascading failures and how radiation levels, though terrifying at first subsided within weeks. But while the radiation faded, the fear lingered. And that fear changed everything. The numbers tell a stark story. Before 1986, nuclear energy was racing ahead at breathtaking speed, electricity generation from reactors grew an astounding 32.7 times in just 20 years, fueled by global enthusiasm for clean, abundant power. Countries were building reactors at unprecedented rates, averaging 24% annual growth through the 1970s, with nuclear power becoming the darling of energy policy worldwide. Then came April 26, 1986. The explosion at Reactor No. 4 didn't just release radiation, it released doubt into every corner of the nuclear industry. Look at what happened next: In the 20 years after Chernobyl, nuclear electricity generation crept up by only 1.3 times, a fraction of its previous momentum. Growth rates plummeted from 24% annually to just 6.4% in the late 1980s, then further to 2.8% by the early 1990s. The graph above captures this dramatic shift, a steep climb suddenly flattening into a plateau that would persist for decades. Why such a dramatic reversal? Because, as we noted last week, the accident spread more fear than radiation. The invisible nature of radioactivity made it uniquely terrifying. Policy responses were swift and severe. Construction of new reactors plunged by 84% from 496 projects started in the 20 years before Chernobyl to just 79 in the 20 years after, as we discussed in our last post. Though Chernobyl cast a long shadow, it also sparked the greatest transformation in nuclear safety the world has ever seen. As industry paused and regrouped, nations invested in smarter designs, tougher regulations, and a fresh commitment to transparency. All this we will discuss in our next part of the series. @iaeaorg @WorldNuclear @davestorylytics #Chernobyl #ChernobylAccident #Ukraine #Russia #NuclearPowerPlant #NPP #ReactorSafety #Europe #Radiation #NuclearPolicies #NuclearSafety #IAEA

𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝟰 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗯𝘆𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀 Nuclear power emerged as the most ambitious and desirable technology after #WorldWarII. New reactor designs and policies boosting nuclear tech were on every government’s drawing boards. News of new reactors planned or being constructed took the entire scientific community by storm. Suddenly, a world dealing with high carbon emission made nuclear tech the darling of science due to its cheap and clean nature. But, nobody could then imagine that their super ambitious dreams were waiting for just one accident to bring it all to a halt. The #Chernobyl accident in 1986 slammed the brakes on the worldwide nuclear dream. What #Titanic was to ocean liners, Chernobyl was to the nuclear world. Radiation spreads fast but fear spreads faster. Public trust melted quicker than the reactor core and every nuclear plant was seen as another Chernobyl waiting to happen. The year 1986, when the Chernobyl accident took place, also witnessed one of the biggest disasters of the aerospace industry – the Space Shuttle Challenger crash. Only 73 seconds after the launch, a fuel leak due to cold temperature led to an explosion. It destroyed the shuttle and killed all seven astronauts onboard, along with a civilian. The accident shocked the world and #NASA had to ground its fleet. However, it took only three years to resume the operation back in full throttle. But the world could not recover from the Chernobyl accident for at least 20 years. But, why? Because, the invisible holds more terror than the terrible itself. While everyone could see the impact of a space shuttle explosion, the fear of radiation was deeply engraved in the minds of both the public and the governments. Constructions began in 496 reactors in the 20 years before the Chernobyl accident, but the policy and priority shifts post the accident led to constructions of only 79 reactors in the next 20 years, according to IAEA. This means that the reactor construction plunged by 84 per cent due to the accident. This shows the Chernobyl accident put a limit in the progress of nuclear industry. Next week, we will understand how the electricity generation from nuclear declined after the Chernobyl accident. #IYNS @iaeaorg @WorldNuclear

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐲𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭? From the last two weeks we are discussing the Chernobyl accident in terms of data. First, we discussed it with its analogy with a car. Last week we discussed the significance of Chernobyl NPP and the impact of the accident. This week we will discuss how the radiation level varied after the accident till today. One can see in the image that the radiation was very high immediately after the accident, but it significantly subsided within a week. It reached up to 20,000 mSv an hour. However, the radiation level dropped to around 3.6 mSv an hour by the end of the day. Later, radioactivity slowed down and a year later, in 1987, radioactivity stood slightly above the background radiation. At present, the radioactivity level is comparable to the natural background radiation. The fluctuation in radiation level is due to different nature and decay of different radioactive material. The accident spread more fear than radiation. The radiation subsided in a couple of weeks but due to the lack of awareness and instilled phobia through misinformation about nuclear, a huge panic erupted amongst the common public, causing a significant dent in the growth of the nuclear energy sector in the 1990s. Nevertheless, the technical and scientific teams around the world knew this reality and kept going with the nuclear advancements. As a result, the country that witnessed the Chernobyl accident - Ukraine - now depends on the same source to meet half of its electricity requirement, according to the World Nuclear Association. But it is true that if the Chernobyl accident had not happened, the shape of nuclear energy would have been different now. In the next article, we will discuss how the Chernobyl mishap made the momentum slip for nuclear energy. #iaea #iyns #davestorylytics #NuclearAccident #NuclearSafety #Data #CaseStudy #NuclearEnergy #MythBusting @Nitendra_S @SMunot57176 @Gaurav_Gullaiya @Sapna_nuke @davestorylytics

But what was Chernobyl Nuclear Plant and the impact of its accident Last week we understood the #Chernobyl Accident with its analogy with a car accident. We saw a disaster in the end. But was this the purpose of the Chernobyl. No. Chernobyl was an ambitious project of that time. It was also planned to become the world's largest nuclear plant with a total of 12 reactors. With four reactors at that time, it was the largest nuclear plant in the Soviet Union and provided for 10 per cent of the entire electricity demand. So, what went wrong? A series of events. The accident was not a consequence of a single day's fallout but a series of least probable events and decisions, all combining together. And its impact? Let’s discuss this in detail. Since the Chernobyl plant was situated at the western border of the country that’s why the radiation reached many far flung European countries too. The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, UNSCEAR report showed that the mean effective dose equivalent in the first year on thyroid was 760 µSv in Belarus, 670 µSv in Austria, 590 µSv in Greece, 1400 µSv in USSR and even 190 µSv in Turkey. While the permissible limit of radiation was much higher than these values, 50,000 µSv per year, public fear was at its peak. This implied the level of radiation phobia instilled among the common people without the proper reasoning. And the effect of this fear is still in the mind of people, and affecting the growth of the nuclear industry. Next week we will analyze is the Chernobyl site still dangerous with data that speaks the truth. #IAEA #Nuclear #NuclearFacts #MythBusting @Nitendra_S @SMunot57176 @Gaurav_Gullaiya @Sapna_nuke @davestorylytics

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐲𝐥 We are starting our series on one of the most talked about accidents in the human history- “#Chernobyl Accident”. We have heard it many times in different versions, but here we are trying to capture the truth, i.e., what the #data really says. This week, let’s try to understand Chernobyl #accident by an example. Imagine driving a car with a hidden design flaw. Whenever the driver is applying brakes, the car doesn’t stop suddenly as it accelerates first and then slows down. Now, one day a group of engineers plan to conduct a test. The experiment is to check if the car’s spinning wheels can keep the steering and brakes alive even when the engine is turned off. The idea makes sense but is the situation conducive? Anyway, the engineers also switched off airbags and ABS considering that safety systems won’t be needed. The test began but due to resistance from the experienced driver to perform the experiment, a fresh driver (with license but minimal to no experience) was asked to carry out the experiment that day. The car generally travelling at a steady pace of 80kmph, was made to slow down rashly for simulating engine turn off scenario. Since the braking was too hard, the speed suddenly dropped to 10 kmph. To fix this, the driver quickly accelerates, making the car jerk forward and unstable. Warning lights flashed but all went ignored. The car now reaches downhill terrain and further speeds up. The driver slams the brakes but, remember the flawed design, it further accelerates violently. The car goes out of control and crashes into a barrier and explodes. This story is not only about that car accident but also holds true for the Chernobyl mishap. A risky experimental test plan, inadequately trained engineers, poor communication, disabling of key safety systems, operating the reactor at a dangerously low power, removing the control rods much below safety limits, and at last, human errors under pressure, everything queued up to cause one of the most talked about accidents in human history. In the upcoming weeks, we will try to highlight some of the details about this accident, i.e., what the data really says. #Nuclear #iaea @Nitendra_S @SMunot57176 @Gaurav_Gullaiya @Sapna_nuke

Nuclear Power X agriculture is the best example of how our exports and food processing sectors can gain from nuclear energy!!

🌱+ ☢️ = 🌾, 𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬 What if we told you that nuclear science is quietly helping Indian farmers harvest more food than ever before? Through mutation breeding, scientists have developed improved crop varieties that deliver remarkable yield boosts — without compromising quality or nutrition. This means more food security, better incomes for farmers, and sustainable agriculture for the future. Mutation breeding uses ionizing radiation to create genetic variations, helping crops resist pests, adapt to climate challenges, and produce more. Data related to some crops is shown in the image. It’s a perfect example of how nuclear technology is not just about power plants — it’s also about putting food on our plates. Visuals by @davestorylytics in collaboration with @YouthIyns #MutationBreeding #NuclearAgriculture #FoodSecurity #SustainableFarming #BARC #CleanEnergy #AgriInnovation #ScienceForSociety #ViksitBharat2047 #FAO #Atoms4Food #IAEA @DAEIndia @iaea @FAO @icarindia @NAASIndia @Nitendra_S @SMunot57176 @Gaurav_Gullaiya @Sapna_nuke