Japan has begun releasing wastewater from the defunct nuclear plant, insisting the water is ‘filtered’, prompting a strong backlash from China.
According to the foreign news agency ‘AFP’, the release of water worth about 540 Olympic swimming pools over several decades in the Pacific Ocean is a very dangerous step.
In live video provided by plant operator Tepco, engineers and an official can be seen behind a computer screen saying valves are opening near a seawater transport pump.
Observers from the UN nuclear watchdog were on site for the procedure, while TEPCO officials were to take water samples later.
Before the operation, about 10 people protested near the scene and about 100 people gathered outside the Tepco headquarters in Tokyo, said journalists there.
One person said it was like dropping an atomic bomb into the sea. Japan was the first country in the world to be attacked with an atomic bomb, and the country’s prime minister made the decision.
China’s Ministry of Environment called Japan’s plan extremely selfish and irresponsible, saying it would inspect and monitor its impact.
About 1,000 steel containers hold water that Tepco said it needs to evacuate to remove highly dangerous radioactive nuclear fuel and debris from damaged reactors.
Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan melted down in 2011 after a massive earthquake and tsunami killed nearly 18,000 people, and TEPCO has since stored 1.34 million cubic meters of contaminated water. .
TEPCO will release the treated water from today till March 2024 where the first discharge will take about 17 days.
Japan insists that all radioactive elements except tritium have been filtered out, and this is supported by many experts.
The environmental group Greenpeace says the filtration process is poor, and China and Russia have proposed that the water be evaporated and released into the atmosphere.
China has accused Japan of treating the Pacific like a ‘sewer’, and before releasing the water, Beijing banned food imports from 10 of Japan’s 47 prefectures and banned radiation. Checks have been implemented.
Analysts say that while China may have valid security concerns, its strong response is due at least in part to its economic rivalry and strained relations with Japan.
However, the South Korean government has not objected to this, although many ordinary people are upset and have even protested.
Social media posts in China and South Korea have included false claims about the water released from the plant, along with photos of infected fish claimed to have been infected by Fukushima.
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2024-07-30 08:47:50
