At the foot of the Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima there is an incredible headache for the plant's leaders and the Japanese government: a sea of water contaminated by radioactive elements.
Yes, because the "reserve" of radioactive water in Fukushima is growing by 150.000 liters every day: what to do with it? The problem triggers bitter debate with sometimes cruel and surreal outbursts, such as the recent proposal to throw everything into the ocean "after severe decontamination".
The sources of evil
Water comes from several sources: a little is used for the necessary cooling of the power plant after a tsunami wave hit it in March 2011. More water seeping in from outside and the inevitable rain make the problem even worse.
A thousand barrels have replaced many of the cherry trees that surrounded the plant: each of them collects 1200 litres, many of them are already full.
“We will be building many more through the end of 2020, and we think they will ultimately all be full by the summer of 2022,” says Junichi Matsumoto, the TEPCO manager for the dismantling of the nuclear site.
TEPCO first tried to cover up, then address the problems by taking all sorts of measures to limit the water passing through the plant.
These include an impressive filter system that pumps tons of contaminated water through various membranes every day to remove as much radioactivity as possible.
Highly toxic
The hangar where the decontamination process takes place is marked as “Zone Y” and has very strict security measures.
Anyone entering the area needs strong protection: a full suit, three layers of special socks, three layers of gloves, a double hat and a helmet, special shoes, mask with respirator and raincoat with a dosimeter.
All equipment is burned after use. A scenario that makes it impossible not to make correlations with Chernobyl.
“The filters themselves contain radionuclides,” they explain to TEPCO. Over the years the water often passed through the filters again because one pass was not enough.
A new version of the filters is more effective, removing or reducing about 50 radionuclides to levels acceptable to the IAEA.
Almost all but one
A radionuclides however remains, and cannot be removed with the technology we have. Tritium.
The IAEA claims that if diluted with seawater, Fukushima water can be released into the ocean because its levels would be reduced and the damage would be quite limited.
The reassurances are not convincing
In the Fukushima area, the IAEA's words do not calm the situation, especially that of the local fishing industry already suffering from the gigantic damage to its image suffered due to the nuclear accident.
Kyoichi Kamiyama, director of the Regional Government's Department of Radioactivity Research emphasizes the sufferings that Fukushima fishermen have suffered for 8 years.
“Throw that water into the ocean? I am absolutely against it,” he said in an interview with the Associated France Press.
At national level, the situation is no less tangled
After the improvident comments of the Minister of the Environment (!!) on a discharge of Fukushima water into the sea, a spokesperson for the Minister of Industry reiterated in softer tones: “We want to understand how to minimize the damage of a potential sea discharge to the reputation of the region and of Fukushima products,”.
There are still no decisions, however, even in the medium term: next year's path will lead straight to the Olympics in Japan and it is better to safeguard the international image, also because environmentalist associations are on a war footing.
