In a few days, Japan will begin to pump out over one million tonnes of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station to the sea.
Stored in about 1,000 tanks, the distilled water was used to cool reactors after the powerful 2011 earthquake in Fukushima broke down the cooling systems for the plant. To avoid the melting of nuclear core, water was pumped in continuously which came in contact with Uranium fuel rods. The contaminated water was then stored by the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) in massive tanks, which are expected to be filled up by late next year.
Only by releasing this water, equivalent in volume to about 500 Olympic-size swimming pools, into the sea can Japan fully decommission the Fukushima site. This process will take decades to complete.
Japan claims the water is safe and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) director-general Rafael Grossi has arrived in the country for a four-day visit to deliver a final report on the safety of the process and meet with officials including Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.
Japan has sought to allay fears by claiming that the water will be released only after being treated through a system that removes most of the radioactive material except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen not harmful to humans in small amounts. "Before the discharge, the water in tanks will also be sufficiently diluted so that the concentration of tritium will be much lower than Japan’s national regulatory standards, which is compliant with international standards," the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
Tepco claims it will dilute the water until tritium levels fall below harmful limits, though the water containing tritium is allegedly routinely released from nuclear plants around the world. IAEA too think there is "no harm" in releasing treated water into the sea.
But, Japan's plan has not been welcomed by neighbour China, which calls it a selfish move "that puts the common interests of all humanity in jeopardy."
"The ocean is not Japan’s private sewer,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said last month, warning the proposed release carries risks for the country’s neighbours and Pacific island nations.
China has informed Japan that IAEA’s report cannot be a "pass" for the water release and called for it to be suspended. It has also urged Tokyo to take seriously international and domestic concerns and stop forcibly proceeding with its ocean discharge plan and subject itself to rigorous international oversight.
The fishing community in Japan too worried that releasing the treated water will wreak havoc as people might shun their catch, sending prices down.
The Pacific Islands Forum too issued a statement drawing attention to international laws against dumping nuclear waste in the Pacific Ocean.
“Our people do not have anything to gain from Japan’s plan but have much at risk for generations to come," said PIF secretary general Henry Puna. Some scientists too believe the long-term effects are unknown and the release should be delayed.
The aftermath is also seen in South Korea where the demand for sea salt has skyrocketed as scared people began to hoard salt amid worries the release of wastewater could contaminate future supplies.