Why Is Japan Releasing Contaminated Fukushima Water Into The Sea?

It’s been a decade since the dangerous Fukushima nuclear disaster happened in Japan. Normally, for a country that is considered the ‘land of the rising sun,’ this was a black day, one mired in horrible darkness. So much so that while, to this day, there’s been only one death resulting of cancer caused from the incident, the hampering of the three Fukushima Daiichi reactors proved a near fatal incident.

It is important to remember that owing to the nuclear disaster, that ultimately disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, a major catastrophe threatened ‘Nippon.’ And so much so that in order to ensure that there occur no fatalities or heavy destructions, which was on the cards, as many as 100, 000 people had to be evacuated.

Just imagine if the radioactive materials were to get suspended, particularly as a result of contaminated water leaked from three units?

It might not be incorrect at all to suggest that what was a disaster for Japan with the threat of its predicament too obvious to deny or curtail, would’ve been a massive wrinkle on the face of the earth.

Nonetheless, almost ten years since the 2011 incident, that occurred because of the Earthquake and Tsunami, the Japanese government has taken a big decision with what the element of the episode’s aftermath.

So what is that?

Well, to many this may come as a nasty bit of surprise, rather a shock too good to deny but the Japanese government has decided to release no fewer than one million tonnes of contaminated water from the Fukushima episode into the sea.

Oh, hell, no!? Isn’t that the commonest reaction to expect? What else can be possibly said, right?

But well, what is one to do. Surely, in what can only be called as a massive shocker, it helps none to note that what Japan has done is rather eyebrow-raising.

But at the same time, shouldn’t a question be also asked- what else would the nation have possibly done with such a massive quantity of water? This, remember, is water that is already contaminated and has been the way it is even if for ten long years.

Actually at a time where much of the world is gearing up for climate change and sustainability, this is the last thing one needed to hear and from a country that, in itself, is a cluster of four islands- right?

Here’s what Reuters had to say about the entire incident that is, expectedly, sending shockwaves, if one could put it that way:

The decision is expected to rankle neighbouring countries like South Korea, which has already stepped up radiation tests of food from Japan, and further devastate the fishing industry in Fukushima that has battled against such a move for years.

One can understand the issue Japan has been dealing with for the longest time possible in its recent history is the disposal of this water.

And here’s why it is a strain, a problem, an irreplaceable issue to be done away with. According to what Reuters said in their recent report, it proceeds with an decades-long decommissioning project. Nearly 1.2 million tonnes of contaminated water are currently stored in huge tanks at the facility.

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The plant, run by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc 9501.T, suffered multiple nuclear meltdowns after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami.