Nuclear power plants on the Pacific coast of Miyagi and Fukushima shut down on Friday, fearing a nuclear leak from the damage caused by the earthquake that hit Japan.
Nuclear power plants on the Pacific coast of Miyagi and Fukushima shut down on Friday, fearing a nuclear leak from the damage caused by the earthquake that hit Japan. The incident has raised questions over the safety of the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project.
Activists and scientists, who have been arguing against the project, have in the past raised the same fear, as the area around the project site has experienced tremors in alarming numbers.
They are also arguing that information obtained from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) under the Right to Information (RTI) has revealed that the approved site and the surrounding area experienced 91 tremors between 1985 and 2005 ranging from 2.9 to 6.3 on the Richter scale. The earthquake risk zone map shows that Ratnagiri district falls in zone IV, while the project site comes under zone III. The zones have been decided depending on the expected earthquake intensity scale.
“The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Japan was struck by an earthquake on July 16, 2007, and it is said that it suffered major problems. This just proves that our concerns about the JNPP’s safety are valid,” said Advai Pednekar of the Konkan Bachao Samiti.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said that the JNPP is under no threat from earthquakes. As per the document sent by Ranjit Raj Kakde, NPCIL’s general manager (corporate communications): “To withstand severe earthquakes, the entire nuclear island stands on a single 6-metre-thick reinforced concrete basemat. The height of the buildings has been minimised to make them resistant to earth tremors, and the heaviest components, in particular the water tanks, are located at the lowest possible level.”
However, there has been no mention of safety measures in case of a tsunami, of the type which struck Japan on Friday.
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