Belarus, Russia to develop new Chernobyl programme
Research organisations of Belarus and Russia are developing a concept of the new Chernobyl programme of the Union State, Olga Vinogradova, deputy chief of the social policy and information support department of the Union State Permanent Committee, told reporters on February 25.
According to Olga Vinogradova, several pilot projects are currently underway. Once they are completed in 2011, the new Union State programme of mitigating the Chernobyl impact will be submitted for consideration of the Council of Ministers of the Union State. Some of the pilot projects might be recognized as crucial and will be transformed into independent Union State programmes. It is also possible that new groundbreaking solutions will be developed while the joint Chernobyl programme of the Union State for 2006-2010 is being implemented.
The commission for ecology, nature management and relief efforts of the Union State PA held a session in Russia’s Podolsk on February 25. The session was attended by officials of the emergencies ministries of the two countries and scientists. They considered the results of the programme in 2008 and the agenda for 2009, including the development of the contaminated areas map.
It is impossible to say yet what areas the new programme will cover. A special tender of proposals will be held. “Time will show what areas the programme will cover. So far, we have got no proposals. We just support the idea promoted by the Russian and Belarusian emergencies ministries to develop a new programme. This idea is supported by the Union State Council of Ministers and Parliamentary Assembly,” Olga Vinogradova said.
In 2008 the Union State allocated around RUB 374 million for the Chernobyl programme. The programme was 99.6% fulfilled. Russia utilised the whole sum of RUB 162.877 million, while the Belarusian Emergencies Ministry used only 99.3% of the sum of RUB 211.150 million. Belarus did not use RUB1.5 million. This money was saved due to the tender for purchasing equipment. The money will be spent on the programmes in 2009-2010.
In 2008 some RUB 24.408 million was appropriated to fund the second programme ‘Improvement of the system to provide population and economies of Russia and Belarus with information on current and future weather and climatic conditions, the state and pollution of the environment’ for 2007-2011. The programme was 99.9% fulfilled. In Russia, it was implemented 100%, in Belarus 99.7% due to the exchange rate margin.
The session also discussed the report of the Accounting Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Belarusian State Control Committee on the execution of the Union State budget in 2007 and preliminary results of the budget execution in 2008. The deputies also considered the results of the session of the Union State Council of Ministers on January 30, 2009, and the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State on February 3, 2009.
