As if the chaos caused by the powerful earthquake and the subsequent tsunami isn’t enough, Japan faces a serious calamity after the explosions in the four nuclear reactors at Fukushima nuclear plant. Scientists and workers at the nuclear plant were tirelessly working to contain the nuclear radiations emitted to the atmosphere when the new fire at reactor four resulted in the rising of the radiation level in the atmosphere. Such a rise is dangerous for those workers at the nuclear plant and hence the Japanese government has withdrawn all workers from the plant. Many countries, including India, are dependent upon nuclear reactors for power generations and therefore it is important for all to know more about nuclear radiations and its harmful effects.
The Japanese are well aware of the dangers of the nuclear radiations after falling prey to the atom bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War. However they have very few natural resources and therefore decided to go for nuclear power to supply a third of its energy needs. They have more than 50 commercially operating nuclear reactors and many are built in seismically dangerous environment, where the threat of earthquakes is more. Though most of the nuclear reactors are built after taking this factor into consideration, the enormous power of the earthquake and tsunami has toppled all security measures that were put in place. Shutting down a nuclear plant is as complex a process as the nuclear fission process that generates power. Therefore it seems that it would take a long time before the nuclear radiation emission to the atmosphere is brought under control and stopped. The government has asked people not to panic and has given them guidance on how to avoid getting affected with the radiation. BBC is giving an extensive coverage of the issue and you can find a lot of information about the nuclear disaster at Fukushima from the following URL.
India has got many nuclear power plants as well and the nuclear calamity in Japan would be a time that should take our attention to the security of those plants. Indian nuclear scientists have repeatedly said that all our nuclear reactors are safe and we have nothing to worry about if a similar environmental disaster as in Japan happens in India. At the same time Indian nuclear agencies have promised to revisit the security measures at all atomic plants. It is quite important for the common people to know more about the dangers of nuclear radiations, about how to avoid it and about how to get treated if ever exposed to it. The following resource from BBC gives a good account on this regard.
The nuclear disaster in Japan has raised alarm bells in many countries. China, South Korea and the United States, Japan’s neighbours, have increased their security level to fend off radiation threat from Japan. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that all seven nuclear plants built before 1980 would be closed down for now as safety checks are conducted. Switzerland announced that it would freeze all plans to build or replace nuclear power plants and Austria called for new stress tests on nuclear plants across Europe. India has decided to adopt radiation checks at ports and airports and on all food imports from Japan. In Russia President Vladimir Putin has ordered a review on all nuclear plants.
Inarguably, one of the most important outcomes of the Japanese nuclear crisis is that it has re-ignited the anti-nuclear debate around the world. It is extremely important for the global community to have an impassioned debate on the pros and cons of nuclear power before we move forward with nuclear power projects.
Image: The No:3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant at Minamisoma is seen burning after the blast
1 comment:
Very Nicely Said. Let us pray for their recovery.
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