The catastrophe that occurred in April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant required a whole range of emergency measures to prevent radiation from spreading to the maximum distance and harming a huge number of people. The work carried out by people can rightfully be equated with the heroic ones, and they themselves learned about the danger hanging over them much later. The sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, installed above the ill-fated fourth power unit, became a symbol of the courage of all rescuers.
In the avaricious news bulletins of that period, it was said that a special shelter was installed over the fourth Chernobyl reactor, where the accident occurred, which included many different structures, the main purpose of which is to protect the environment from ionizing radiation. Almost immediately, ordinary rescuers and leaders began to call this shelter nothing more than the sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Photos and documents of that time show that the work was carried out almost around the clock, tens of thousands of workers were involved in them. At the first stage, a powerful reinforced concrete fence was created, which protected the fourth power unit from the surrounding space. Then, under the concrete solution, everything that was left inside the shelter was buried, including boxes with
radioactive waste. As for the roof, first 27 metal pipes were laid over the walls, on which corrugated sheets were laid. All these operations were accompanied by the removal of contaminated soil and the analysis of debris. The sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was ready.
More than twenty-five years have passed since the acceptance of the shelter by the technical commission. All this time, the construction was closely monitored, during which not only the level of radiation was evaluated , but also the strength of the structure. Despite the closest attention from the world community, in February 2013 the sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant could not withstand the pressure that the powerful snow cover exerted on it, and partially fell apart. Immediately in all the world media there were reports of a real threat of radiation contamination of a significant part of Europe.
However, almost immediately Ukrainian engineers, monitoring the shelter of the fourth power unit, denied information about a possible threat. According to them, a significant part of the structure remained intact, and the roof collapsed above the engine room, where the radiation level did not exceed permissible values. Be that as it may, talk began about the need to build a new sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in order to minimize all real and potential dangers.
In principle, the construction of a new shelter began a few years ago, but they are being carried out extremely slowly due to lack of funding and high requirements for certain operations. Currently, the pace of work has increased, as it became known that the life of the old sarcophagus does not exceed thirty years. Consequently, the new design should be ready by 2016.
The sarcophagus of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has become a real monument to the courage of people who were involved in the aftermath of the accident, but even the most reliable facilities require replacement.