Chernobyl: Tragedy that Could Be Prevented?

    If we're friends, you would know how I'm always excited to discuss creepy world events. Fortunately for me, today's blog post would be exactly about that. 

    If you didn't know, Chernobyl disaster was an accident that took place in 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union. It has even been labelled the worst disaster in the history of nuclear power generation. The Chernobyl power station was situated at the settlement of Pryp’yat, 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the city of Chernobyl (Ukrainian: Chornobyl) and 65 miles (104 km) north of Kyiv, Ukraine. The station consisted of four reactors, each capable of producing 1,000 megawatts of electric power; it had come online in 1977–83. To recap, here's a breakdown of the timeline of events that happened, laid out by the World Nuclear Association website:

• The Chernobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel.
• The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the environment, with the deposition of radioactive materials in many parts of Europe.
• Two Chernobyl plant workers died due to the explosion on the night of the accident, and a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation syndrome.
• The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation has concluded that, apart from some 5000 thyroid cancers (resulting in 15 fatalities), "there is no evidence of a major public health impact attributable to radiation exposure 20 years after the accident."
• Some 350,000 people were evacuated as a result of the accident, but resettlement of areas from which people were relocated is ongoing.

    Today, there are numerous interesting videos and documentaries showcasing the abandoned town of Pryp’yat, which was once a town full of life and activity. A good example is the video below, where a man takes a short tour of the eerie abandoned town:

    Although the Chernobyl tragedy is a fun discussion topic for bored youths looking for a fun conversation (guilty), we cannot brush aside the deaths and the enormous amounts of grief it caused for the affected families. Pregnant women were forced to abort their babies, animals were genetically mutated, families broken apart. Even the environment was so badly polluted it was deemed unlivable up to this day, more than 30 years later. The Chernobyl tragedy has not only caused psychological strain, but environmental pollution on a massive scale as well. It was certainly a disaster that could not have been evaded. Or could it?

    Based on my understanding, the tragedy may be able to be evaded but for three aspects: if the staff at Chernobyl had been better trained, if the Soviet government had learned from the lessons of the past and if they had not been so averse to spending money. A great video to explain on the training aspect is this one, as they animate the situation on how the tragedy could have been avoided if only the staff had been more experienced:

    In short, we may theorize on how to handle the disaster better or even how to prevent it entirely based on our modern understanding of science. However, what's done is done, unfortunately, and the best we can do is to keep the past mistakes in mind when handling future similar situations. On that note, I leave you with a quote from the Quran that states the will of Allah, as stated in Surah Ar Ra'a verse 26 :

ٱللَّهُ يَبۡسُطُ ٱلرِّزۡقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقۡدِرُ‌ۚ وَفَرِحُواْ بِٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا فِى ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعٌ۬ (٢٦)

"Allâh increases the provision for whom He wills, and straitens (it for whom He wills), and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter is but a brief passing enjoyment."