Chernobyl Zone May Be Resettled

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Tuesday January 11 4:26 PM ET 

Chernobyl Zone May Be Resettled  

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine's government has drafted a development 
plan for contaminated land around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 
calling for resettling part of the area, a civil defense official 
said Tuesday.  

The plan suggests a partial revival of the so-called zone of 
alienation, an area about 20 miles around Chernobyl that was 
evacuated after the 1986 fire and explosion at the plant, the world's 
worst nuclear accident.  

Scientists have discovered mutant plants and animals in the zone, and 
only a few people now risk living in the area.  

But, citing scientific work sponsored in part by the European Union, 
the plan suggests some areas may be resettled and are suitable for 
growing potatoes, said Volodymyr Kholosha, deputy emergency 
situations minister.  

The draft document also has provisions for health care and radiation 
safety for people living outside the zone.  

The program, estimated to cost around $1.3 million for 2000, replaces 
a previous five-year plan that will expire this year. A detailed 
version is due in July. 

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