Top Stories

Breaking: Japan To Release Fukushima Water In 48 Hours

Japan will start releasing treated radioactive water from the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, despite opposition from its neighbours.

The decision comes weeks after the UN’s nuclear watchdog approved the plan.

Advertisement

Some 1.34 million tonnes of water – enough to fill 500 Olympic-size pools – have accumulated since the 2011 tsunami destroyed the plant.

The water will be released over 30 years after being filtered and diluted.

Advertisement

Authorities will request for the plant’s operator to “promptly prepare” for the disposal to start on 24 Aug if weather and sea conditions are appropriate, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Mr Kishida had visited the plant on Sunday, prompting speculation that the release was imminent.

Advertisement

The government has said that releasing the water is a necessary step in the lengthy and costly process of decommissioning the plant, which sits on the country’s east coast, about 220km (137 miles) north-east of the capital Tokyo.

Japan has been collecting and storing the contaminated water in tanks for more than a decade, but space is running out.

Advertisement

The 2011 tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, is regarded as the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Shortly after, authorities set up an exclusion zone which kept getting expanded as radiation leaked from the plant, forcing more than 150,000 people to evacuate from the area.

Advertisement

 

The plan to release water from the plant has caused alarm across Asia and the Pacific since it was approved by the Japanese government two years ago.

Advertisement

It had been signed off by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, which concluded that the impact on people and the environment would be negligible, but fishermen in the region still fear that discharging the treated water will tarnish the reputation of their catch and affect their livelihoods.

Tepco has been filtering the water to remove more than 60 radioactive substances but the water will not be entirely radiation-free as it will still contain tritium and carbon-14, radioactive isotopes of hydrogen and carbon respectively that cannot be easily removed from water. But experts believe they are not a danger unless consumed in large quantities, because they emit very low levels of radiation.

Advertisement

The plan has caused uproar in neighbouring countries, with China the most vocal opponent. It accused Japan of treating the ocean like its “private sewer.”

South Korea, however, has endorsed the plan, and has accused protesters of scaremongering.

Advertisement

People who live in and around Fukushima are also not convinced that the treated water will be safe and many fishermen in the country fear that the release will affect their livelihoods.

Both South Korea and China have banned fish imports from around Fukushima.

Advertisement
citynews

Recent Posts

Why Seyi Tinubu Can’t Be Lagos Governor- Igbokwe

A member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Joe Igbokwe, has said Seyi Tinubu, son…

12 hours ago

Simon Ekpa Not Our Member, Should Not Be Associated With Us- IPOB

IPOB PRESS RELEASE 22/11/2024 SIMON EKPA IS NOT AN IPOB MEMBER AND MUST NOT BE…

14 hours ago

NEWSPAPER HEADLINES FOR FRIDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2024

NEWSPAPER HEADLINES FOR FRIDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2024. *PUNCH* Gombe begins N28bn Assembly, high court complexes…

16 hours ago

My husband assaulted me, ruined my career – Olajumoke Onibread

Former bread seller turned model, Olajumoke Orisaguna, popularly known as Olajumoke Onibread, has opened up…

18 hours ago

“I did not punch Akpabio” – Senator Bamidele speaks on alleged fight with Senate President

Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele has denies reports that he was involved in a fight…

18 hours ago

Speaker Obasa Clarifies Negative Perceptions As Sanwo-Olu Presents 2025 Budget

– says lawmakers united to meet yearnings of Lagosians – accuses detractors of peddling news…

18 hours ago