Iaea Chief Wants Release Of Real - Time Data On Treated Water Discharge
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has called for a system to communicate real-time environmental data once the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant begins discharging treated water into the ocean.
NHK on Friday interviewed IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in Japan, which the UN official is visiting.
Grossi stressed the importance of monitoring the water discharge process to ensure that safety standards are adhered to and "there won't be any harm done, to the environment, to the fish, to marine sediment."
Grossi said local concern over possible reputational damage to fishing, farming and other sectors should be treated "with utmost respect," as livelihoods are at stake.
He added that all concerned parties including the government and the plant operator need to be very straightforward. He said they should be, "very honest, and show absolute transparency, give all the information that is necessary."
Objections to the discharge plan have also been raised by Japan's neighbors. Grossi said he has made sure that the IAEA taskforce in charge of assessing the plan includes experts from China, South Korea and other countries. He said the aim is to "show that the work which is being done is absolutely objective."
The IAEA chief said that in order to seek deeper understanding for the project at home and abroad, he "would like to have a system of communication and information in real time" when the discharge starts.
He said such a system will enable people around the world to learn "what is happening, and what is the environmental impact, if any, of what is being done."
Reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered meltdowns in March 2011. Water used to cool the molten nuclear fuel mixes with rain and groundwater flowing into the damaged reactor buildings.
The water is treated to remove most radioactive materials, but still contains tritium.
Japan's government plans to lower the concentration of tritium to ensure it is well within the standards set by national regulations. It plans to start releasing the water into the sea as early as next spring.