14 March,2011 06:39 AM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
Two reactors in Tarapur are based on the same boiling water principle as the Japanese nuclear power plant at Fukushima which suffered an explosion after Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake
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SENIOR nuclear scientists in the country are closely monitoring the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan, which is in the midst of a nuclear meltdown following Friday's earthquake-tsunami double whammy.
The boiling water reactor at Tarapur
Apart from academic interest, the scientists are keen to understand the reason behind the mishap to prevent a similar thing from happening at two reactors in Tarapur in the state both boiling water reactors (BWRs) like the ones at the Fukushima plant.
R Bhattacharya, secretary, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), said, "We are closely reviewing the developments in Japan and are in constant touch with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
We have been informed that the damage in Japan is at Level 4, indicating it will have local consequences. Out of the 20 nuclear power plants in India, only two in Tarapur are BWRs. We will now review them as a safety procedure."
"Seismic activity is, however, much higher around Japan than it is in India and the new reactors that are being constructed at Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Gujarat are designed and constructed to overcome any natural or man-made disasters," he added.
S K Malhotra, who heads the Public Awareness Division at the Department of Atomic Energy, said, "As per standard procedure laid down by the AERB, no atomic power station can be constructed in a radius of 400 kms from the seismic zone.
This combo shows the images of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant before (L) and after (R) thequake damaged it. An explosion in the Japanese town of Okuma in Futaba district, Fukushima prefecture, on March 12, 2011 blew apart the building housing one of the plant's reactors.
Our diesel power backups are also constructed at high altitudes to ensure that the generators do not get swept away by tsunami waves, as has happened in Japan. When a tsunami hit India in 2004, our power reactors at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu withstood waves as high as 5 metres."
"The unfortunate incident in Japan will serve as a learning experience for us. While we are only commenting based on media reports at the moment, technical inputs from the IAED will help us understand what led to the meltdown," he added.
Greenpeace reacts
Karuna Raina, Nuclear and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace, said, "How many more warnings do we need before we finally grasp that nuclear reactors are inherently hazardous?
The nuclear industry has always told us that a situation like this cannot happen with modern reactors and yet Japan is currently in the middle of a potentially devastating nuclear crisis.
This April will see the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl and we are, once again, reminded of the inherent risks of nuclear power, which will always be vulnerable to the deadly combination of human error, design failure and natural disasters.
"Our thoughts continue to be with the Japanese people as they face the threat of a nuclear disaster following the already devastating earthquake and tsunami. The authorities must focus on keeping people safe and avoiding any further leaks."
She added, "The evolving situation at Fukushima remains far from clear. But we do know that exposure to Caesium-137, the radioactive element used in such reactors, poses a significant health risk.
It has been one of the isotopes causing the most adverse health impact following the Chernobyl disaster because it can remain in the environment and the food chain for 300 years."
No Chernobyl, this
According to Malhotra, the Japanese nuclear incident is not as bad as the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster which took place on April 26, 1986. More than 50 employees and rescue workers lost their lives as a result of direct radiation, and nearly 3,36,000 people were resettled.
160 tested
News agencies reported that at least 160 people were tested for radiation exposure in Japan yesterday, after tens of thousands of residents were evacuated in the wake of the explosion at the reactor.
