Fukushima Nuclear Plant: Japan to Release 1.23 Million Tonne Contaminated Water into Sea, Here's All About It
According to the latest media reports, Japan is to release treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
Japan, October 19:The Japanese government has reportedly decided to release more than a million tonnes of contaminated water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean. The country is to release treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. This follows years of debate on whether and how to dispose of the liquid, which includes water used to cool the power station hit by a massive tsunami in 2011.
There have been opposition and resistance coming from various sectors. Environmental and fishing groups opposed the idea but many scientists say the risk it would pose is low. According to a BBC report, on Friday Japan's industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama said no decision had yet been made on the disposal of the water but the government plans to make one soon.
According to local media reports, the release of more than a million tonnes of water, which has been filtered to reduce radioactivity, would start in 2022. The water would be diluted inside the plant before release so it is 40 times less concentrated.
Fishermen Opposing the idea:
Fishermen, on the other hand, claim the move could cause irreparable harm to the industry, which is still reeling from the 2011 disaster. Fishing activities along the Fukushima coast were halted immediately after the nuclear plant disaster but trials to resume the trade was initiated as early as June 2012.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato added that the government will make a "responsible decision at an appropriate time" in this regard after discussing it with all stakeholders.
The March 2011 tsunami that caused the meltdown was triggered by a massive undersea quake and killed around 18,000 people. Tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes because of the threat of radiation.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2020 01:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).