4/7 : Slavoutich
2002
April 26, 1986: Block N° 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power station explodes.
A 30 kilometres zone around the reactor is evacuated, including Pripiat, the city built to house the power station's workforce.
To rehouse the population, the Soviet government decided to build a new town 60 kilometres away: Slavoutich.
Like Pripiat, Slavoutich is constructed as a model city: situated in the middle of a forest, its 22 000 inhabitants live in detached houses with private gardens or in large flats. The streets are clean, the shops are inexpensive. There are no power cuts or heating shortages. A television station broadcasts daily bulletins concerning the power station.
Each soviet republic had a hand in building a neighbourhood in this new city.
As construction reached completion, the authorities discovered that this region is also contaminated.
December 2001: The Chernobyl power station is closed definitely. Of the 12 000 workers, 9000 will be made redundant.
© Guillaume Herbaut, l’Œil Public