Russia: Living With Radiation
Statue of academic Igor Kurchatov, leader of the Soviet atomic bomb project.
Muslumovo village stands few kilometers from Celiabinsk, in Russia, South Ural Mountains. Its name means “city of the Muslims”, most of them are Tatar people. The town is notorious for its closeness to Mayak, the world’s biggest nuclear plant and since 10 years the key plant of the Russian nuclear industry.
In Mayak - where more than 70% of Russia’s nuclear waste is stored - accidental and intentional releases of radioactivity have polluted drinking water and an entire lake. The area around the giant Mayak nuclear complex is one of the most radioactive places on the planet.
In 1957, an explosion at the site was the world’s second worst nuclear accident, sending radioactive clouds over 23,000km² and affecting 272,000 people. More than 28,000 people have been “severely irradiated” and at least 8,015 have died as a result.
In 2006 Minatom announced that Muslumovo will be transferred with all the 741 families living there. The old town will be completely destroyed and a new Muslumovo will be rebuild only 5-7 kilometres away.
Muslumovo has been a famous village among journalists for the last 20 years. I think what photojournalist have to record first of all, is his personal place of living. Muslumovo is situated 120 km out my native city of Chelyabinsk, just East of the Ural mountain range. That’s why I decided to make a story about this village.
Funeral. Men pray near the coffin. The woman died because of lung cancer.
Barbie from Muslumovo.
Ruslan, dreaming of another place
Techa river. Radioactivity is everywhere here.
Not all houses are provided with drinking water
Grey day in the village
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Alexey:
Good story. I learned something about your “neck of the woods”. A good start on a global environment story perhaps?
Aloha, JB Cambodia
13 January 2009 at 2:21 pm