‘Fukushima’s radioactive water is an emergency’
7 Aug 2013 4:39 AM IST
Highly radioactive water seeping into the ocean from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is creating an ‘emergency’ that the operator is struggling to contain, an official from the country’s nuclear watchdog said on Monday. This contaminated groundwater has breached an underground barrier, is rising toward the surface and is exceeding legal limits of radioactive discharge, informed Shinji Kinjo, head of a Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) task force.
Countermeasures planned by Tokyo Electric Power Co are only a temporary solution, he said. Tepco’s ‘sense of crisis is weak.’ ‘This is why you can’t just leave it up to Tepco alone’to grapple with the ongoing disaster. Right now, we have an emergency,’ he said. Tepco has been widely castigated for its failure to prepare for the massive 2011 tsunami and earthquake that devastated its Fukushima plant and lambasted for its inept response to the reactor meltdowns. It has also been accused of covering up shortcomings.
It wasn’t clear how much of a threat the contaminated groundwater could pose. In early weeks, the government allowed Tepco to dump tens of thousands of tonnes of contaminated water into the Pacific in an emergency move. The toxic water release was, however, heavily criticised by neighbouring countries and local fishermen and the utility has since promised it wouldn’t dump irradiated water without the consent of local townships.
Countermeasures planned by Tokyo Electric Power Co are only a temporary solution, he said. Tepco’s ‘sense of crisis is weak.’ ‘This is why you can’t just leave it up to Tepco alone’to grapple with the ongoing disaster. Right now, we have an emergency,’ he said. Tepco has been widely castigated for its failure to prepare for the massive 2011 tsunami and earthquake that devastated its Fukushima plant and lambasted for its inept response to the reactor meltdowns. It has also been accused of covering up shortcomings.
It wasn’t clear how much of a threat the contaminated groundwater could pose. In early weeks, the government allowed Tepco to dump tens of thousands of tonnes of contaminated water into the Pacific in an emergency move. The toxic water release was, however, heavily criticised by neighbouring countries and local fishermen and the utility has since promised it wouldn’t dump irradiated water without the consent of local townships.
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