Current Environmental Problems of Dnipro Reservoirs after the Chernobyl Catastrophe

Abstract

The article provides general information about accidents on the dams over the past 50 years. Causes of such accidents are shown to be mostly natural disasters and human factor. The emergencies consequences leading to economic losses and casualties are demonstrated on examples of different countries. The peculiarities of the Kiev hydroelectric dam, which retains 90 million tons of radioactive sludge after the Chernobyl accident (1986), are highlighted. This generalization is made in order to prevent a possible disaster. The necessity of preventive works is emphasized: the urgent engineering works to prevent accidents, as well as constant monitoring of the dam current state. Due to the existence of the Kyiv hydroelectric dam itself any liquidation of the emergency consequences is practically impossible. The implementation of these measures will require rehabilitation of vast areas covered with radioactive sludge that will take up to thousands of years.