The indefenite relay fast by the local villagers against the koodankulam nuclear power plant, a coastal village in Tamilnadu has entered the seventh day . 24 people who went on fast are reported to be critical.TN government has woken up and sent a strongly worded letter to PM on the unresponsive attitude of the centre to the issue.PM has agreed to send central minister Narayanaswami to reassure the villagers. But the moot point is how safe is koodankulam Nuclear plant in the wake of the recent disaster in Japan's Fukushima nuclear reactor during the Tsunami.Very recently there was a radio active leak and blast in the Marcoule nuclear plant in France.The blast killed a person in Marcoule.It is quite but natural the koodankulam people are panicky. Though not a nuclear disaster,the Bhopal tragedy and its after effects on the Bhopal people even after a quarter century of the disaster, looms large in the minds of the people of the tiny coastal village koodankulam in Tamilnadu.The most disturbing fact is, there is a hamlet called Idinthakarai just 10 KM away from the plant site.The waste from the nuclear plant will be discharged in to the Bay of Bengal.Kanyakumari is just 25 Kms away from Koodankulam.Koodankulam itself is a fishing hamlet.The release would affect the marine wealth of this region.The plant is expected to be commissioned in December.When the plant was concieved there was a weak protest in some quarters citing the chernobyl disaster,especially because the koodankulam plant is also a Russian assisted project.But the recent Fukhshima disaster pressed the panick button,justifiably too.It should be noted that Mamta's Trinamul congress has announced recently that Haripur nuclear power project had been abandoned in West Bengal.The rethinking by the WB government was prompted by the Fukushima disaster.After the Japan disaster,world over all countries are re examining their commitment to nuclear power plants.Germany has decided to close all its nuclear reactors by 2022. Italy has banned nuclear power generation altogether.The carbon free elecricity generation was considered as the most favourable point for nuclear power generation.But it is the only source of power that uses radio active waste.Radio active spills can harm the land and the living organisms of the region for centuries.Any failure in safety measures could be catastrophic.But at the same time it is also true nuclear power generation is required to meet the increased power demands which is progressing geometrically.This is true especially in the wake of climate change concerns .So whether we like it or not nuclear power will stay all over the world,to tide over the increased power genration crisis everywhere.The scientists have to devise ways and means to make it safe and secure.Experts say the Generation III plus nuclear power plant technology is much superior and safe.But the current nuclear plants in India is using a technology 4 decades old.As on date there is a potential risk and it can not be ignored or brushed aside by any one .The safety concern raised by the koodankulam people are to be addressed.
ndia requires Electricity/Power desperately. Nuclear Power provides a non polluting alternative to Thermal Power which is hugely polluting. Our Hydel power options are limited. We do not have geo-thermal sources and Solar or wind power options are limited and the technology unable to acheive the mass required.
ReplyDeleteThe only option is Nuclear Power. We have a vast pool of engineers & scientists who can ensure that adequate safeguards are maintained. Are people aware that France, Germany and Japan meet a major part of their power consumption through nuclear power?
Another point to be noted is that a commercial-type power reactor simply cannot under any circumstances explode like a nuclear bomb - the fuel is not enriched beyond about 5%.
While nuclear power plants are designed to be safe in their operation and safe in the event of any malfunction or accident, no industrial activity can be represented as entirely risk-free. Incidents and accidents may happen, and as in other industries, adequate safety measures have to be incorporated. For example-More people died and had long term health afflictions due to the Union Carbide Bhopal incident than any nuclear accident ever! Should that one incident make us shut down all Chemical or fertilizer plants & refineries?
Thank you Neha for your valuable comments .In fact in my post I was not arguing against Nuclear power plants .I quote the following sentences from my post "But at the same time it is also true nuclear power generation is required to meet the increased power demands which is progressing geometrically.This is true especially in the wake of climate change concerns .So whether we like it or not nuclear power will stay all over the world,to tide over the increased power genration crisis everywhere".My only concern was about safety regulations and allying the fears of villagers who are not technically savvy.
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