Belarusian, Russian weather services to monitor environmental radiation

Belarusian and Russian weather services will monitor the environmental radiation status together, BelTA learned from Maria Germenchuk, First Deputy Head of the National Hydrometeorology Center of Belarus, on 20 August.

According to the official, the efforts will be organized in compliance with the program for developing the Union State hydrometeorology security system. The relevant document has been approved by the Belarusian and Russian ministries concerned and has been forwarded for consideration of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Belarus and Russia.

According to the source, participants of the program will dedicate a large part of their work to monitoring the environmental radiation status. “Monitoring radiation near the Belarusian nuclear power plant construction site is one of the most important tasks assigned to the Belarusian weather service. We don’t have sufficient experience for now but our Russian counterparts do,” noted the specialist. In her words, neighboring countries – Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland – are expected to take part in the radiation monitoring effort. Radiation monitoring in this region is becoming extremely important for the sake of securing stability in the region, stressed Maria Germenchuk.

New technologies will be assimilated and satellite data will be used as part of the implementation of the program to develop the Union State hydrometeorology security system.

So far the Union State of Belarus and Russia has implemented four programs on developing the hydrometeorology security system. These programs were aimed at stepping up cooperation between the weather services of Belarus and Russia.