Ten years ago on March 11, 2011, at 2.46 pm Japan Time, a 9.0 magitude earthquake
struck the Tohoku region of Honshsho Japan. It was the strongest tremor
to hit the country and one of the strongest in the history of the world.
The tremors lasted six minutes. Some 20 minutes after the earthquake
hit, a masive tsunami swept across coastal
towns from the northern island of Hokkaido to the southern island of
Okinawa, wiping out entire villages in the provinces of Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate destroying more than 400,000 buildings and homes, and killing
15,891people and and forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee as radiation spewed into the air..
A nuclear disaster compounded the horror when tsunami waves reached
the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, with power out,the
emergency cooling generators weren’t functional,
and explosions began in the reactor containment buildings; this in turn
caused nuclear material to leak out of the plant. causing the worst
nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986. In addition too those already
lost more than 3,700 people mostly from Fukushima, died from illness or
suicide in the aftermath of the tragedy.ad more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-03-japan-tsunami-nuclear-tragedy-years.html#jCp
In addition, more than
3,700 people—most of them from Fukushima—died from illness or suicide
linked to the aftermath of the tragedy, according to government data
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-03-japan-tsunami-nuclear-tragedy-years.html#jCp
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-03-japan-tsunami-nuclear-tragedy-years.html#jCp
Unsurprisingly, critics of nuclear power seized upon the accident
to argue that because nature is unpredictable, nuclear power is simply
too risky. Following the nuclear meltdown, Japan's entire stable of nuclear reactors
were gradually switched off. But almost half a decade on, Japan is
considering whether it should recommence its pursuit of nuclear energy
- especially given its continued struggle to decommission the Fukushima
reactors that are still inundated by contaminated water.
Nuclear reactor facilities, which need a reliable source of water for
cooling purposes, are usually located near the ocean or alongside a
large lake or river.That's a somewhat fraught positioning from the lens of climate
science, particularly since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change report from 2007 found that ocean levels are rising roughly 1.2
inches each decade, with some scientists predicting that water levels
could rise by as much as a meter by the end of the century.
That
may not sound like much, with most nuclear power plants a full 20 to 30
feet above sea level, but each additional inch of water increases the
risk of flooding and heightens storm surges, two of the more significant
threats of a warmer planet.
The
potential risks of tsunamis to nuclear power plants are well understood
and a set of international standards has been developed to mitigate
those risks. Yet,
despite Japan’s history of tsunamis, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety
Agency, Japan’s nuclear regulator, did not apply those standards. It
failed to review studies of tsunami risks performed by the plant’s
owner, Tokyo Electric Power, known as Tepco. It also failed to ensure
the development of tsunami-modeling tools compliant with international
standards.
Tepco
was also negligent. It knew of geological evidence that the region
surrounding the plant had been periodically flooded about once every
thousand years. In 2008, it performed computer simulations suggesting
that a repeat of the devastating earthquake of 869 would lead to a
tsunami that would inundate the plant. Yet it did not adequately follow
up on either of these leads.
Many people still do not trust Tokyo Electric because of its bungled
response to the disaster..Around 12,000 people who fled their homes for
fear of radiation have since
filed dozens of lawsuits against the government and the Tokyo Electric
Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the stricken nuclear plant. Ten years later, about 5,000 workers pass through gates into the crippled plant each day to pull apart the plant, which still has about 880 tonnes of melted fuel debris in its reactors, and. radioactive water is continuing to flow into the
Pacific Ocean from the crippled No ,1 plant, while the radiation levels
at the crippled plant are still at unimaginable levels.
At 2:46 p.m.,the exact moment the earthquake struck a decade ago, Emperor
Naruhito and his wife led a minute's silence to honour the dead in a
commemorative ceremony in Tokyo. Silent prayers were held across the
country.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told the memorial ceremony that the loss of life was still impossible to contemplate.
“It is unbearable when I think of the feelings of all those who lost
their loved ones and friends,” said Suga, dressed in a black suit.
At the ceremony attended by emperor and prime minister, the attendees
wore masks and kept their distance, and did not sing along with the
national anthem to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“I would like to express condolences from the bottom of my heart to
everybody who suffered from the effects of the disaster,” Suga added,
reaffirming support for those affected by the disaster. Carrying bouquets of flowers , many walked to the seaside or visited graves tp pay respect to friends and relatives washed away by the water.
As people remember the thousands killed in the Great East Japan, despite the billions poured into reconstruction efforts by the Japanese
government, scars on the landscape remain visible and the tragedy
continues to wreak misery for many, more than 50,000 people still remain
displaced, because of this man made disaster.
However at least all of Japan's reactors were halted after the accident and nuclear safety regulations were tightened significantly. Just nine reactors are currently operational, compared to 54 before March 2011, and two dozen are set for decommissioning.
Nuclear accounted for just 6.2 percent of electricity generation in
Japan in fiscal 2019, a fraction of the 30 percent before the accident,
according to official figures.
The government's current goal, which is being reviewed, is for
nuclear to account for 20-22 percent of electricity generation by 2030
-- a target viewed as impossible by many experts.
A majority of Japanese remain opposed to nuclear power after the
trauma of the Fukushima disaster, and dozens of lawsuits have been filed
by communities near plants in a bid to prevent them restarting.Also following Fukushima, a number of countries including
industrial powers like Germany have dramatically cut their dependence on
nuclear power.
Sadly ten years after Fukushima, the nuclear lobby is still trying again to sell
nuclear power as a miracle cure against the climate crisis . It is therefore our duty as a society tirelessly to educate about the
risks and devastating effects of nuclear technology, for the world to look beyond dependence on nuclear power and look into more environmentally friendly sources of energy. and make sure. that the lessons of
Chernobyl and Fukushima should not ever be forgotten. for the earth not to be harmed and for people not to scream in despair. feel the aftershocks of heartache and pain, the dangers of nuclear power have not gone away, and will never be safe for this beloved planet of ours..
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