Japan: Panel advises Government to release contaminated Fukushima water into sea

An expert panel has advised the Japanese government to release radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean or vaporise it into the air. The panel has been weighing on the critical issue for the last three years and the lack of space to store the water forced it to urgently come up with a solution. However, the proposal is neither binding on the government and nor it has set any kind of deadline for the release.

In December 2019, the Japanese Economy and Industry Ministry had proposed the gradual release or evaporation of the radioactive water stored at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. The proposal came after the government and the plant operator recognised the inability to get rid of more than one million tonnes of radioactive water, treated and stored due to opposition from local fishermen and residents. 

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Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) had said that the plant is capable of storing up to 1.37 million tonnes, that too until the summer of 2022. The draft proposal had suggested a controlled release of the radioactive water into the Pacific or allowing the water to evaporate, or a combination of the two methods. The ministry had opined that a controlled release was the best option since it would 'stably dilute and disperse' into the water body by using a method endorsed by the United Nations' Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation.

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Failed to meet basic safety requirements

In 2011, the country recorded one of the largest earthquakes in history which triggered the catastrophic Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. It was the most severe nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, triggered by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. 

However, investigations showed that the Fukushima catastrophe was man-made in nature and could have been avoided even after the earthquake. The National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission (NAIIC) found out that the plant operator had failed to meet basic safety requirements which led to the disaster.

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(With inputs from agencies)