Showing posts with label tsunami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tsunami. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Japan Nuclear Disaster Raises Questions On Regulatory Agencies
From EDITOR’s desk
April 26, 1986, a disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant that shook the world from the hinges. The radioactive fall out affected then and thereafter, spreading all across eastern and western Europe devastated almost half of Soviet population.
Probably the nuclear fall out still haunts the people of Russia and neighboring countries but nobody denies nuclear energy is arguable the most potent of all, but in the recent Japan’s earthquake caused a nuclear crisis, which once again point out a fundamental question – do nuclear rich countries take appropriate measures to full proof the safety of people? Japan catastrophe also raises the question of discussion about the safety of nuclear energy within the self-styled bylaws of regulatory agencies.
On March 11, 2011, Japan had witnessed the worst natural calamity in decades. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami not only wrecked normal life, but also damaged Tokyo Electrical Power Co. (TEPCO) Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant, resulting fatal nuclear leak.
TEPCO doesn’t have the best record for safety or disclosure of information. In 2002, the nuclear plant was alleged for forging safety records, and subsequently was forced to shut down all 17 of its reactors.
The nuclear power plant have had been always in a flimsy state. In 2007, TEPCO was once again shut down all seven reactors at the world’s largest nuclear power station on the west coast of the country, owing to a smaller 6.6 earthquake.
The question of nuclear safety is indisputably more significant in countries like Japan, which are prone to earthquake or other natural disaster. Japan is world’s third largest developer of nuclear reactors (55) behind France and United States with 59 and over 100 respectively. Japan obtains one third of its electricity from these reactors, and planning to build 15 more nuclear reactors.
Japan environmental activists have blamed the regulatory agencies for negligence and a typical culture of management of covering up mistakes.
The problem is that nuclear power companies like TEPCO and the government regulators are "essentially one and the same," says Gordon Edwards of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, a civil society organization.
The problem lies in the mentality of industries who are very specific about their business, and both the industry and regulators do not want to educate people or policy makers. They never explain the nuances of radioactivity. The truth is radioactive reactors need to take extreme precautionary measurements because even it is shut down, it still generates an enormous amount of heat that hast to be removed to prevent a meltdown.
A perfect example of this pandemonium has been seen in TEPCO's Fukushima I reactor number 4, which was closed since December, but the recent earthquake damaged the cooling system and threatened to go fatal.
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| Japan Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant |
April 26, 1986, a disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear plant that shook the world from the hinges. The radioactive fall out affected then and thereafter, spreading all across eastern and western Europe devastated almost half of Soviet population.
Probably the nuclear fall out still haunts the people of Russia and neighboring countries but nobody denies nuclear energy is arguable the most potent of all, but in the recent Japan’s earthquake caused a nuclear crisis, which once again point out a fundamental question – do nuclear rich countries take appropriate measures to full proof the safety of people? Japan catastrophe also raises the question of discussion about the safety of nuclear energy within the self-styled bylaws of regulatory agencies.
On March 11, 2011, Japan had witnessed the worst natural calamity in decades. The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami not only wrecked normal life, but also damaged Tokyo Electrical Power Co. (TEPCO) Fukushima 1 Nuclear Power Plant, resulting fatal nuclear leak.
TEPCO doesn’t have the best record for safety or disclosure of information. In 2002, the nuclear plant was alleged for forging safety records, and subsequently was forced to shut down all 17 of its reactors.
The nuclear power plant have had been always in a flimsy state. In 2007, TEPCO was once again shut down all seven reactors at the world’s largest nuclear power station on the west coast of the country, owing to a smaller 6.6 earthquake.
The question of nuclear safety is indisputably more significant in countries like Japan, which are prone to earthquake or other natural disaster. Japan is world’s third largest developer of nuclear reactors (55) behind France and United States with 59 and over 100 respectively. Japan obtains one third of its electricity from these reactors, and planning to build 15 more nuclear reactors.
Japan environmental activists have blamed the regulatory agencies for negligence and a typical culture of management of covering up mistakes.
The problem is that nuclear power companies like TEPCO and the government regulators are "essentially one and the same," says Gordon Edwards of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, a civil society organization.
The problem lies in the mentality of industries who are very specific about their business, and both the industry and regulators do not want to educate people or policy makers. They never explain the nuances of radioactivity. The truth is radioactive reactors need to take extreme precautionary measurements because even it is shut down, it still generates an enormous amount of heat that hast to be removed to prevent a meltdown.
A perfect example of this pandemonium has been seen in TEPCO's Fukushima I reactor number 4, which was closed since December, but the recent earthquake damaged the cooling system and threatened to go fatal.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
German embassy in Japan moved to Osaka amid nuclear fears
BERLIN, March 17 (Xinhua) -- German embassy in Japan would be moved to the southern city of Osaka temporarily, as the capital Tokyo is being threatened by radiation from damaged nuclear reactors in Fukushima, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
The German Ambassador to Japan and his staff will continue their duties in Osaka, 600 kilometers southwest of the quake- crippled Fukushima nuclear power station. Germans can contact the team in Osaka if they need help or want to leave Japan, the ministry said.
The ministry added that the move was a precautionary measure amid escalating Japan nuclear crisis, while some embassy offices in Tokyo is not to be completely closed, the ministry added.
The announcement came one day after the ministry advised its citizens to leave Tokyo's metropolitan area and other northern regions of Japan for safety reasons.
Since Saturday, several explosions and fires rocked the nuclear reactors in Fukushima plant, pushing radiation near the area to harmful levels. Higher-than-normal level of radiation was also detected in the densely-populated Tokyo, which is about 250 kilometers away from the plant.
The Japanese government has set up a 20-kilometer exclusion zone around the nuclear plant and asked people living in 10 kilometers beyond zone to stay indoors
On Thursday, emergency workers are using water cannons, heavy- duty firetrucks and helicopters to cool nuclear fuel rods, hoping to prevent more radiation from leaking and spreading. Until nightfall, it remained unknown whether the attempts worked.
The German Ambassador to Japan and his staff will continue their duties in Osaka, 600 kilometers southwest of the quake- crippled Fukushima nuclear power station. Germans can contact the team in Osaka if they need help or want to leave Japan, the ministry said.
The ministry added that the move was a precautionary measure amid escalating Japan nuclear crisis, while some embassy offices in Tokyo is not to be completely closed, the ministry added.
The announcement came one day after the ministry advised its citizens to leave Tokyo's metropolitan area and other northern regions of Japan for safety reasons.
Since Saturday, several explosions and fires rocked the nuclear reactors in Fukushima plant, pushing radiation near the area to harmful levels. Higher-than-normal level of radiation was also detected in the densely-populated Tokyo, which is about 250 kilometers away from the plant.
The Japanese government has set up a 20-kilometer exclusion zone around the nuclear plant and asked people living in 10 kilometers beyond zone to stay indoors
On Thursday, emergency workers are using water cannons, heavy- duty firetrucks and helicopters to cool nuclear fuel rods, hoping to prevent more radiation from leaking and spreading. Until nightfall, it remained unknown whether the attempts worked.
Editor: Mu Xuequan |
Japan Earthquake Tsunami Affected People Finder And Nuclear Radiation Information
Below are the missing persons help lines for Japan (for Japanese language only here):
Iwate: 0120-801-471
Miyagi: 022-221-2000
Fukushima: 0120-510-186 / 090-8424-4207 / 090-8424-4208
Below are emergency voicemail message board for Japan:
For leaving a message dial 171 + 1 + phone number
For listening a message dial 171 + 2 + phone number
Phone Call Travel Information for Japan:
For overseas visitors to Japan - 03-3201-3331 (24 hour live travel information)
Earthquake and tsunami affected people who are in shelters or evacuation centers can email their photos to tohoku.anpi.google@picasaweb.com which will be uploaded to Picasa Web Album for public viewing. So, searching loved ones in this Japan's crisis becomes easy.
Regarding nuclear power plant radiation and other related health information please visit the official site of World Health Organization.
2011 Japan Earthquake Person Finder
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Tuesday, March 15, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Tokyo shares closed down 10.55pc on Tuesday as panicking investors dumped stocks after the government said levels of radiation leaking from a stricken nuclear plant posed a threat to health.
Japan's Nikkei index clawed back some ground from an earlier freefall - sliding more than 12pc at one stage - to close down 1,015.34 points at 8,605.15. The broader Topix plunged 9.5pc in its worst two-day fall since 1987.
Other Asian markets suffered a ripple effect as investors fled stocks as the crisis in the world's No. 3 economy seemed only to escalate after a third explosion at the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Fukushima province. » | Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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