The world`s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl and the tremor have left survivors struggling to overcome the grief of losing families.
On March 11, Japan mourned about 20,000 victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan 11 years ago, destroying towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima.
Huge waves triggered by the 9.0-magnitude quake - one of the strongest on record - crashed into the northeastern coast, crippling the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant and forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee as radiation spewed into the air.
The world`s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl and the tremor have left survivors struggling to overcome the grief of losing families and towns to the waves in a few frightening hours on the afternoon of March 11, 2011.
(With inputs and photos taken from Reuters)
1. What exactly happened at the Fukushima nuclear powerplant?
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An earthquake of magnitude 9.0 triggered a Tsunami on March 11, 2021, that hit the coastal plant, damaging the cooling systems, and the power supply, therefore causing meltdowns at three reactors. The buildings that housed the three reactors faced hydrogen explosions, massive radiations, and caused contamination in the surrounding areas.
Radiation levels within three of the reactor buildings at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan are still too high
Scientists still do not have a firm understanding of the precise conditions of the reactor cores in three of the six units at the Fukushima Daiichi plant
2. Thousands of people were displaced after the incident
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The Fukushima disaster displaced more than 100,000 people due to radioactive contamination and spurred a national debate over this resource-scarce country's reliance on nuclear power. Many still remain in temporary housing, 10 years after a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered meltdowns, explosions and radiation leaks at Tepco's Fukushima Daiichi plant.
3. Role of TEPCO in the nuclear disaster?
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Many government and independent investigations cited that the plant operator TEPCO's safety negligence, lax oversight by regulators, and collusion lead to the 'man-made disaster.
10 years after the incident, the Tokyo Electric Power Co, the plant's operator, insists that much has been achieved to bring the situation at the reactors under control. Radiation levels are declining, it says.
4. Aftermath of the debacle
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The work to decommission the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, deal with contaminated water and solid waste, and make the area safe is immense.
About 5,000 workers pass through gates into the crippled plant each day to pull apart the plant, which still has about 880 tonnes of melted fuel debris in its reactors.
The operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), has estimated the project would take decades, while critics say it could take up to a century to return the plant to a usable state.
The mass demonstrations against nuclear power seen in the wake of 3/11 have faded, but distrust lingers. Some antinuclear activists are planning demonstrations in front of TEPCO for Thursday night.
5. Japn debates role of nuclear power
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Japan is again debating the role of nuclear power in its energy mix as the resource-poor country aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2050 to fight global warming. But an NHK public TV survey showed 85% of the public worries about nuclear accidents.
Only nine of Japan`s 33 remaining commercial reactors have been approved for restarts under post-Fukushima safety standards and only four are operating, compared with 54 before the disaster.
