🚨 Alert from Fukushima! About 25 tonnes of radioactive water have leaked inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, according to the plant's operator. This comes just a week after the latest round of ocean discharge started.
The nuclear-contaminated water leaked from a surge tank connected to the Unit 2 reactor building. It was supposed to be stored in a tank receiving overflow from the spent nuclear fuel pool, reported Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).
The leaked water accumulated on the first basement level of the reactor building, raising the level of contaminated water already present there. TEPCO assured on Tuesday that the contaminated water hasn't escaped outside the reactor building. 😅
The leak was first spotted last Friday when a decrease in the water level of the surge tank was noticed. Upon investigation, water was found flowing into a drain in a room on the third floor of the reactor building. 🕵️♀️
TEPCO plans to deploy a remotely operated robot by Friday to measure radiation levels and pinpoint the exact location and cause of the leak. As part of the investigation, the cooling pump for the pool has been temporarily shut down.
Remember the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011? 🌊 That's when the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered core meltdowns, releasing radiation and causing a level-7 nuclear accident—the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
Since then, the plant has been generating massive amounts of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down nuclear fuel. This contaminated water is currently stored in tanks at the plant.
Despite strong opposition both at home and abroad, the ocean discharge of Fukushima's nuclear-contaminated water began in August 2023, and the eighth round started last week.
In fiscal 2024, TEPCO plans to discharge a total of 54,600 tonnes of the contaminated water in seven rounds, containing approximately 14 trillion becquerels of tritium. 😱
Amid raging credibility and safety concerns among the Japanese public following a series of accidents at the plant, TEPCO and the Japanese government have been frequently challenged for mishandling the contaminated water.
A global opinion poll conducted by CGTN Think Tank last year showed that 93.21% of respondents were strongly opposed to Japan dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the sea.
According to the poll, 90.28% of people expressed that they do not trust the statements of the Japanese government and TEPCO, and 86.45% criticized Japan for not handling its nuclear-contaminated water in a scientific, open, and transparent manner.
Reference(s):
Radioactive water leaks reported at Japan's Fukushima power plant
cgtn.com
