By Seema Sengupta
KOLKATA ― The three stage disaster that has rocked and shocked Japan since March 11 raises serious doubts about the adequacy of preparations to confront increasing natural calamities throughout the developed and developing world.
If nuclear power plants failed to withstand the vagaries of nature in a risk obsessed Japan, the plague of ills can certainly descend on a nation like India having a notorious track record of disregarding public safety. Ever since the end of World War II, Japan has planned its development model on the basis of carefully evaluating diverse risk factors.
The Japanese were never deterred from undergoing massive urbanization symbolized by nature defying shock-proof skyscrapers in spite of being located on the rim of a major earthquake zone. Similarly, they overcame the grim memory of a nuclear holocaust to generate power from nuclear fission with adequate safeguards in place.
However, the “land of the rising sun” stands exposed today despite investing heavily on risk management. Tokyo, the international center of business excellence is in danger of being engulfed by radioactive vapor released from damaged reactors at Fukushima. As the people of Japan remain engrossed in debating the quality of safety measures that were put in place in 52 operational nuclear power plants, it is time for India to pull up her socks too.
The secretive nature of India’s Atomic Energy Department has so far restrained any authentic data of risk evaluation coming to the fore. The efficacy of Indian nuclear reactors in tackling probable inoperable scenarios is being questioned by some of the experts. They are objecting to the method of finding suitable locations for setting up nuclear reactors on the basis of past occurrences of earthquakes.
Geologists have in fact bumped into fresh geological fault lineaments during remote sensing studies at places which are not known to be earthquake prone in India. The crisis in Japan has also provided a new lease of life to anti-nuclear energy votaries who were lying low ever since the signing of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal. These critics are silently weighing the options of reviving their battle against the supposedly imperialistic nuclear deal.
In the next few weeks India is bound to be swept by heated debate on the wisdom of over-investing in atomic energy. That the plan to multiply nuclear generated energy by 15 times in the next two decades will result in the proliferation of risk factor being highlighted repeatedly. But then amid all these claims and counter claims, the specific issue of nuclear safety is being pushed onto the backburner.
There is no denying the fact that for India, nuclear energy is indeed a part of her comprehensive power bouquet. To combat the ever increasing shortfall of power in the country, New Delhi is left with little option other than tapping into this energy source, which can also help in diminishing carbon emissions. However, transparency remains the key word in establishing a mechanism to ascertain the capability of India’s nuclear establishment in dealing with emergencies.
It is absolutely essential in restoring the confidence of the nation regarding risk management. That is precisely the reason why the Indian government has failed to create a consensus over the nuclear liability issue in Parliament and outside while sealing the bilateral nuclear deals with United States and others. In a democracy an elected government is always duty-bound to brief the citizens on the texture of risk calculations being adopted by the political establishment on their behalf.
Moreover, it is imperative to make sure that effective enforcement of safeguard standard for high risk infrastructure like nuclear reactors are being monitored regularly and audited periodically. A peculiar tendency to obfuscate has complicated the matter further given a nuclear accident can contaminate a region’s landscape permanently.
It therefore becomes mandatory for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who supervises the department dealing with atomic energy to take the bold initiative in deregulating the regulatory infrastructure by staffing them with competent and independent professionals. Establishing a high-power panel for validating the locations and designs of nuclear power plants based on broad parameters has become absolutely unavoidable in the wake of Japan’s disaster.
In their eagerness to expedite the clearance procedure, concerned officials are often charged with bypassing serious environmental issues thereby exposing citizens to the risk of health hazards. This has resulted in experts and activists remaining largely skeptical about the probity of government officials dealing with nuclear management.
Indeed complacency can leave our defenses vulnerable in the face of nature’s onslaught. Plugging the existing loopholes and exploring new and safe options can see us through during a devastating natural calamity. Using liquid fluoride thorium reactors (LFTR) which are less prone to meltdown and far safer than plutonium based reactors would be a judicious option.
India being a pioneer in LFTR technology and having invested on setting up thorium based experimental reactors can upgrade the system to a commercial level. This will certainly go a long way in preventing a Fukushima-like disaster on Indian soil.
Seema Sengupta is a journalist based in Kolkata, India. She can be reached at sengupta.seema@gmail.com.