The radiation pollution in this aerea is of course a very serious issue, and it is caused by the maybe 10 or 20% of the nuclear material which was released during the intentional blow outs. But how would the area looks like today, when a total spill out of the core(s) had happened, uncontrolable? Better you dont't think of it.
I just do not understand why it is so difficult to dispose of nuclear waste in a sealed deep underground facility
Why not recycle it instead? That's what France does and they don't have a waste problem. The final residuals are a fraction of the volume and decay to background levels in 200-300 years, not the 10s of thousands of years for current waste. There is nothing to stop us from recycling except ignorance and hysteria.
Additionally, you might find this interesting. Much like Three Mile Island, the actual health risks that result from the "disaster" are so low they are essentially unmeasurable.
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