In Zaporizhia, a mobile laboratory roams the streets day and night to check the level of radioactivity

A rather special van circulates in the streets of Zaporijjia 24 hours a day: it is the mobile laboratory, on the lookout for possible radioactive fallout. The plant is only about fifty kilometers as the crow flies from the city.

>> FRANCEINFO DOCUMENT. War in Ukraine: Behind the Scenes of the IAEA’s High-Voltage Visit to the Zaporizhia Power Plant

In the van, teams of two people monitor the two radiation sensors, one which is integrated into the door and another placed at the level of the roof of the van. “0-12, 0-13, that means it’s normal”explains Yevgheni Tulochev, the head of the emergency response control department, pointing to the numbers on the screen.

The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) published on Tuesday September 6 the conclusions of its inspection carried out at the Zaporijjia power plant in southern Ukraine, still occupied by the Russians: the agency strongly recommends the establishment of a safety zone around it, to limit the risks of a possible nuclear accident. The last reactor in operation of the largest power plant in Europe has been disconnected from the network because of the fighting raging in the region.

If the radiation levels are reassuring for the moment, we must remain vigilant, warns Taras Tyshchenko, in charge of health emergencies and representative of the Ministry of Health in Zaporijjia. “The technology of these reactors is such that if they are stopped for 72 hours, they must be cooled and the circulation of water in the system must be ensured.he says. It is necessary to use pumps which need electricity and taking into consideration that the power lines are destroyed and the plant has as only source of electricity only emergency generators. They need a lot of fuel to keep them running.”

He specified that at this stage, he did not know whether the quantity of fuel on the plant was sufficient. “The overheating of the reactor would lead to an explosion, an environmental catastrophe whose effects would not only be felt in Ukraine, but also in Moldova, Romania, and in many other countries”he develops.

“With the geographical position of the plant on the Dnieper River, which flows into the Black Sea, no doubt Russia and Turkey will also be affected, perhaps even the whole world, the European Union for sure. “

Taras Tyshchenko, in charge of health emergencies

at franceinfo

The worst-case scenario haunts the inhabitants of Zaporizhia. Every day, they hear the sirens, which remind everyone that, on the other side of the river, the power station is on the battlefield.