Much has been written about
the Siberian village of Muslyumovo. It
is believed to be the most polluted place in the world, or the second Chernobyl.
We cannot close this round of nuclear nonsensical without providing some arguments
for thinking.
At first glance, Muslyumovo
is a remote and unknown place of idyllic
seeming. Nothing farther from reality. It stands beside the Techa River, which gives life to it,
and simultaneously provides the death. The river carries the lethal radioactive
load which, for decades, has released the plant
of Mayak, miles up the river course.
The planet and our children, and vice versa
Probably the greatest
danger of nuclear power is not the power itself, but the human being and his
attitude. As only reflection we propose a double
question: What planet are we leaving to our children? What children are we leaving
to our planet? Probably the classical ecology only raises the first
question, whose solution is not easy. In any case, if we want a healthful
planet and a sustainable exploitation of it, we must begin to change the mind
of the emerging generations. We have to properly educate the children that we
are leaving to our planet to take care of it. In other words, let’s stop worrying about the planet and instead
let’s take care of the education of those who will manage it. If the flame
of common sense and sustainability starts, we will avoid repeating mistakes
that are already part of the recent history.
We need to spread the
testimonial of Ramzis Fayzullin. Due to the exposure of his parents, he was born with
hydrocephaly and severe health problems. His message was summarized in the
slogan “Please, think about our future”.
Ramzis has been a victim of
unsustainability. Those responsible for his mishap shouldn’t ignore the
complaint of this young man. “I want to
be as anybody else. I do not want kids like me”, he claimed saddened as his
companions ridiculed his look and the girls rejected him.
If the flame of common sense and sustainability starts, we will avoid repeating mistakes that are already part of the recent history. We need to spread the testimonial of Ramzis Fayzullin
Dark chronology
-In the 40s the Mayak plant
was built, it supplied the plutonium for the first Soviet atomic bombs, and started
the dumping of radioactive waste into the Techa River. The area would also
become a graveyard of imported nuclear waste.
-In 1957, the explosion of a
tank of waste contaminated a populated area of 1.5 million people. It was the
worst disaster before Chernobyl accident.
-Ten years later (1967) a
drought released the radioactive dust deposited in a lake near Mayak.
-In the nineties the
population begins to know what was concealed for more than four decades, and that
explained the litany of death and destruction in the form of “special illnesses”
in the euphemism of officials. Nevertheless a model of responsible management
was not launched.
-Between 2001 and 2004 up
to 40 million cubic meters of radioactive sludge ended up in the radioactive
landfill that is the Techa River. Even today, in its bank, the radiation exceeds
1,000 times the levels taken as normal. The
locals still keep living -and dying- in a sewer-river that once was a source of
life for Muslyumovo.
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