Warnings have, by and large, been discarded perhaps ever since the forbidden apple was eaten. So is the fate of the warning from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown almost on the ides of March last year, on March 11, 2011 to be precise. Nuclear apologists who earlier professed that lessons had been learnt from Chernobyl and that design modifications had been made in reactors to avert another accident are now brushing aside Fukushima as a very rare chance occurrence of earthquake followed by tsunami, something not applicable to Indian conditions. But the bottom line could as well be that the risk in a nuclear reactor is perhaps unpredictable and inherent.
In the cry for ensuring safety and, more particularly, in the proud assurances by the scientific community and the administrators on the state-of-the-art measures of safety, what has been conveniently hidden under the blanket is the unsolved problem of disposal of nuclear or radioactive waste. Annually, 30 tonnes of radioactive waste is generated in a1000-MW reactor. Can any expert panel of the State or the Centre or, for that matter an internationally reputed body of experts, assure us that the problem of the nuclear waste has been solved?
With the half life of nuclear substances in use running into tens of thousands of years, disposal of nuclear waste is a misnomer in phrase. Radioactive wastes are just hidden (vitrified & sealed in containers) with the knowledge and consciousness of the nature of their hazards. Science as it stands now can do nothing to reduce radioactivity of the waste once it has been created on short-term considerations. It is said that in the nuclear countries as much as three lakh tonnes of radioactive nuclear wastes remain accumulated.
What is the sanctity and tenability on which the government and the scientific community seek to consciously and deliberately accumulate a toxic substance on the off chance that it may be possible to get rid of the same at a later date with scientific advancement? Mr. Abdul Kalam says we have to dare to make history. How would we be judged for daring to commit future generations for several millenniums to come to tackling highly toxic waste we do not have the knowhow to make safe except hide it in steel and concrete containers? Is it science at all to speak of its safety not in terms of centuries but in terms of several millenniums, even while the scientific community is quite uneasy, to say the least on its disturbing potential?
Astounding options
The very fact that scientists are thinking aloud on the astounding options of “throwing” the waste beyond our biosphere by launch vehicle, besides sea-based options, deep-hole disposal and geological disposal (an ongoing project of gigantic dimension in Finland) not only highlights their consciousness of its dangerous potential but also pooh-poohs the idea of nuclear energy being an ecologically acceptable and cheaper option.
Above all, the capping of nuclear liability for protecting the interest of nuclear suppliers and the virtual impossibility of extending insurance coverage, speak of the incalculable and unfathomable magnitude and range of risk in the affair.
But then the State plunged in darkness is power hungry. Business houses, manufacturers, traders and perhaps housewives as well lament the delay in switching on the Kudankulam reactor. The fact remains that from 1400 MW in 1947 the electricity generating capacity went up to 1,82,000 MW in 2011 by more than 100 times with renewable energy sources yet remaining to be tapped a great deal.
(The writer is an advocate. His email ID is arm.lawoffice@gmail.com)
It is true that satisfactory, nuclear waste disposal method is not
available today and is very expensive. The cost of nuclear power does
not take waste disposal. radioactive waste is different from ordinary
ash and other wastes. It is not that this issue is not known to people
involved; but like a true sales person, only the good points will be
told openly - negative points, if raised will be addressed separately.
Even for normal waste disposal, Kerala government in spite of high
court order, is finding it difficult to implement. For today's
comfort, we are sacrificing the future generation - we pass on the
problem to the other generation. Bury very deep under the earth, in
the ocean, space, store on earth in containers - which is safe? We
support nuclear power because we are power starved now.
From the Internation Atomic Energy Agency Website
"How Much Waste Is Being Produced?
The generation of electricity from a typical 1000 MW(e) nuclear power station, which would supply the needs of a city the size of Amsterdam, produces approximately 300 m3 of low and intermediate level waste per year and some 30 tonnes of high level solid packed waste per year.
By way of comparison a 1000 MW(e) coal plant produces some 300,000 tonnes of ash alone per year, containing among other things radioactive material and heavy metals which end up in landfill sites and in the atmosphere. "
While Fukushima is still distressing Japan (cancer takes a few years
to manifest itself) already videos showing Japanese with falling hair
and decaying falling teeth, and with skin abnormalities are appearing
on the net. Fukushima will keep cooking forever as all talk of cold
shutdown is just propaganda to prop up this dying Industry. No
recovery of fuel can take place as the radioactivity around the plants
is too high for humans to approach the reactors. Water in gallons is
still being poured over the damaged plants and in the coldest snowy
winter when the watering was stopped, the temperature rose again.
Japan will have to pour water over the melted reactors for years and
collect radioactive water for years in large metal containers.
Fukushima is the proverbial fire breathing dragon sucking up Japan's
earnings/peace till we don't know when. And so the Nuclear Industry is
slowly killing Japan while Japan's ongoing nightmare is fast killing
the nuclear industry!
Thanks to the author to point out the ignored issue.
I think Science and Research should not be blamed for non disposal of nuclear waste.Since we have so many ways to dispose this off ,some makes sense and some just exist for the name sake and are impractical but the need of the hour is to implement those methods which are already known.
Transmutation,Reprocessing and many more exist from long.I admit that all have different loopholes but if a combination of all is implemented it would be better than ignoring the issue atleast. The obstacles and loopholes are visible more when things are implemented in actual.The situation where solutions are on paper and debate is going on on the same,it is equal to “nothing done at all”.
Thanks finally that someone decided to start on the real major issue of Nuclear power plants, namely the nuclear wastes. The physicists know very well about it..but as intellectuals having vested interests, they stop thinking beyond power generation...what happens after that, they always come back with the usual retort, that is not our problem....All the environmental disasters happened so far almost always happened because of such short-sighted 'so called' scientific advancement. To be scientific and before coming out in groves to convince what they think are lesser-intellects, about the safety of nuclear reactors, should think through the whole of life cycle of nuclear materials. Congratulations to the Author...
It's definitely another disaster waiting to happen. While countries which had big dreams of the nuclear power are under tremendous pressure to wind-up their operations. A classic example being Germany. In this case, fortunately we are not a pioneer this field & that gives us an opportunity to learn from others' mistakes. As rightly pointed by the author, radio-active materials are doing more harm than help. Little Boy & Fat Man of World-War II fame are notorious for their destruction. I had the opportunity to visit both Hiroshima & Nagasaki. Those 2 days would be remembered by me as the forgettable days in my life, for the sheer extent of devastation displayed in & around the museums. Seems the ill-effects of radiation are still observed in the new born, even after half a century!. This one reason is more than enough to veto this project. When the well developed countries are grappling with the nuclear waste disposal & emergencies, in India it would be nothing lesser than a chaos.
I offer my sincere thanks to the writer for enlightening us on a very important aspect
of nuclear technology relating to the disposal of nuclear waste which still has the
potency to cause irrevocable havoc to humanity in the absence of effective safety
measures for its storage. . No doubt, the Scientific community must be giving
serious thought to the issue and a fool-proof method must be evolved in due course
of time. In Kudangulam too we will be faced with a similar problem and the best
and safest option will be to hold on the operation of the plant till the whole issue is
sorted out satisfactorily.
Well, the hon'ble lawyer has taken "law" in his own hands without any authority or basis to spit venom on Kudankulam Reactor. Whom should we believe, scientific facts and explanation from technical experts who have an authority in the field or concocted facts and mis leading theories spread by rumour mongers. Is fossil fuel fired plants do not have waste for ever ?
When this whole controversy errupted few months ago, the main issue was Nuclear Radiation. Now that, this issue has been satisfactorily addressed and clarified in the public domain by the central and state committees, here comes some new issues...nuclear waste and insurance and renewable energy etc..
The ultimate hidden agenda seems to be to nuke the nuclear programme of our country and create an unwarranted fear psychosis among public. One thing is certain, the move is only helping many Hindu readers like us to reinforce our belief more and more on Nuclear India as an inevitable answer to meet our power demand.
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