Japan could dump one million tonnes of RADIOACTIVE Fukushima water into the Pacific Ocean

Possible ocean life crisis as Japan could dump radioactive Fukushima water into the Pacific. 

• Japan could dump one million tonnes of toxic water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.
• Prime Minister Yoshihide Suma claims the discarding of the radioactive liquid is “unavoidable.”
• Environmentalists are protesting against the PM’s plan. 

Japan is looking to dispose of more than one million tonnes of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. The toxic liquid comes from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

As UNILAD reports, there have been heated debates over how the country handles the discharge of the radioactive water for years.

Back in 2011, a tsunami crashed into the power station, resulting in the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Thousands of people lost their lives following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the island.

Meanwhile, a massive amount of radioactive material was released into water, with authorities still arguing about how to dump the toxic liquid stored at the plant.

Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s Prime Minister, is set to decide the fate of the radioactive water. It was revealed that the most possible judgment would be to discard the radioactive mix into the ocean.

Outraged environmentalists and fishermen are protesting against the dumping of toxic water into the ocean. 

According to Greenpeace, “the only acceptable solution is continued long-term storage and processing of the contaminated water.”

As per The Japan Times, in a recent meeting with the Prime Minister, Hiroshi Kishi, president of the National Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations, raised concerns that such action may cause critical damage to the fishing industry. Kishi insisted that many would likely be put off knowing that the water could be radioactive.

Reportedly, PM Suma stated:

“The disposal of ALPS-treated water [the process by which radioactive water is treated at the plant] is unavoidable and experts have recommended that the release into the sea is the most realistic method that can be implemented. Based on these inputs, I would like to decide the government’s policy.”

Furthermore, the trade minister Hiroshi Kajiyama, who also attended the meeting, claimed that the PM has asked for as much cooperation as possible. He said:

“What to do with the ALPS treated water is a task that the government can no longer put off without setting a policy.”

Japan’s Prime Minister will make a formal decision by April 13, 2021. 

The toxic mix will allegedly take two years of preparation before it could be released into the Pacific. After that, it would take around 30 years to safely discharge all of the liquid. To avoid affecting human health, the tritium concentration in the water would need to be reduced to around 1/40th of the maximum set out by national standards.

However, the general public, just like environmentalists and fishermen, is against this plan. A recent survey revealed that 51% of the respondents disapprove of the PM’s toxic liquid dumping suggestion, while only 18% support it.