View of the NPP “Fukushima-1”
Moscow. 14th of April. INTERFAX.RU – The decision of the Japanese authorities to dump water from the damaged Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant into the ocean worries Russian environmentalists.
“It is not good that they will pour water from the nuclear power plant, no, despite the fact that they said they will clean it of radionuclides. Japan plans to dilute the water to low concentrations (radioactive tritium), but it is not clear how long it will take.” , – Konstantin Zgurevsky, senior adviser to the marine program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), told Interfax.
At the same time, Zburevsky suggested that Japan “had no other choice,” “because the reservoirs of the nuclear power plant are overflowing, and soon they will have nowhere to drain the water with which they cool the reactors.”
The ecologist believes that the countries neighboring Japan are justifiably worried, since radioactive particles can spread downstream. “We are still lucky that the current is not in the direction of Russia, it goes to the Pacific Ocean, after the disaster, an increased content was noted in the waters adjacent to California. It is clear why neighboring countries are worried,” he said.
In turn, the director of programs of the Russian branch of Greenpeace, Ivan Blokov, commenting on the decision of the Japanese authorities, said that “in any situation, throwing radioactive waste into an open environment is immoral.”
According to him, the water that will be discharged from the nuclear power plant could not completely lose harmful substances. “It will be very bad for the nearest areas of the environment,” the ecologist said.
On April 13, the Japanese government announced a decision to dump water from the damaged Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant into the ocean.
The Russian side expresses regret that Tokyo did not consider it necessary to hold consultations with neighboring states, including the Russian Federation, regarding its plan to discharge water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant into the ocean, said earlier the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova …
Currently, water waste is stored in specialized reservoirs, they are cleaned, but still contain radioactive tritium. The government is going to reduce the level of this element in accordance with international standards and in two years to start dumping water into the ocean.
A Japanese government commission last year recommended dumping water from Fukushima into the sea, but the decision sparked widespread dissatisfaction, in particular among the fishing industry, who feared that consumers would refuse any seafood caught in the area.
