September 16, 2023
- After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan was damaged by a tsunami in March 2011, managing over one million tonnes of radioactive wastewater stored at the site has been a challenge.
- The decommissioning of the plant, which is expected to take decades, involves getting rid of the contaminated water, tonnes of hazardous melted fuel debris from the plant’s reactors and other radioactive waste.
- Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant’s operator, began the treatment and the gradual release of the contaminated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on August 24, 2023.
- Though the water has been treated to eliminate most of the radioactive substances, it still contains tritium and some other elements, because of which Japan’s neigbouring countries are unhappy about the plan.
- Though scientific institutions and the Japanese government have stated that the water is safe, its discharge has met with opposition from fisheries and environmental activists. Additionally, the plant’s decommissioning process can pose a risk to the health of plant workers and the environment.
Image Source: wikipedia.org
