Our mother earth is comprised of many natural resources that sustain human lives. One such important resource is the water bodies that apart from their use for human betterment provide a beautiful view of nature. world’s most radioactive lake Passing through different parts of the world, the sea, ocean, lake, or river water irrigates the land portion of land making it fit for agricultural practices and earning a livelihood.
Nowadays, such an important source is also facing the greatest issue of being getting polluted due to multiple human activities deteriorating the quality of water. Water pollution has been increasing day by day making the water unsuitable for living organisms.
One of the major causes behind such pollution is the addition of radioactive wastes to the water bodies. It is due to this reason that aquatic life is on a key point to be most affected. In this chain, let us learn about the most radioactive lake in the world and its associated facts. world’s most radioactive lake
Lake Karachay- a radioactive water body.
Largely spelled as lake Karachai or Karachaj, the lake Karachay is known to be a small lake that flows in the southernmost portion of the Ural mountains at the center of Russia. It was amongst one of the most beautiful lakes of Russia until the dumping of radioactive waste in it was started in 1951. world’s most radioactive lake
Such an act was being started by the Soviet Union at the nearest area of Mayak (it was the nuclear waste storing company that used to reprocess the nuclear waste and manufacture the products out of waste to be reused). Mayak was located in the proximity of Ozyorsk (or Chelyabinsk-40 of that period).
Current scenario of the lake.
Due to the continuous dumping of radioactive waste into this water body, the lake has now become completely infilled. Presently it is known to be a close-surface perpetual and dry nuclear-powered waste storing facility.” world’s most radioactive lake
The condition has reached a point where the radioactivity of this lake can now be compared to that of the Chernobyl disaster which is known to be the worst nuclear accident ever happened in human history.
As per the report of the Worldwatch Institute on nuclear waste, lake Karachay has become the highest polluted region on Erath from the radiological perspective. world’s most radioactive lake
More than 4.44 exa becquerels (Bq) of the radioactivity has amassed in this lake which is a little less or nearly equivalent to one bed square mile of water. Some of the related considerable aspects are mentioned as follows:
- The lake is comprised of 3.6 EBq of cesium-137 and 0.74 EBq of strontium-90 which are some most prominent radioactive elements of the periodic table.
- The sediment at the bed portion of the lake has been measured to nearly 3.5 meters heaped of only radioactive materials. world’s most radioactive lake
According to the census of the Natural Resources Defense Council, in the year 1990, the level of radiation of nearby places has risen to 600 röntgens per hour which have become one of the major factors of water pollution in that area. It was so harmful as it could give a lethal dose to an individual in fewer than an hour.
