Beyond TEPCO’s Powers, Radioactive Water Defies the Shielding Wall BY MAKO OSHIDORI
August 2, 2013
Mako Oshidori of Yoshimoto Creative Agency is a member of the Manzai Kyokai (The Association for Stand-up Comedians) and of the Board of Directors of the Free Press Association of Japan. She regularly attends press conferences given by public authorities and TEPCO since the outbreak of the Great East Japan Earthquake. She also relentlessly does reporting on Fukushima and other disaster-affected areas. She presently writes columns for “DAYS JAPAN” and “MAGAZINE 9”. For donations, please go to the link below:
http://oshidori-mako.laff.jp/blog/2011/07/post-ad67.html. Thank you for your support!
On August 2, from 18:30 to 20:30 the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) held its first task force meeting on the management of contaminated water.
As an announcement, I share my facebook post.
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The task force meeting on tainted water management is over. It’s rare that an evaluation meeting of the NRA scheduled to take place from 18:30 to 20:30 lasts until 21:00.
Holding the meeting at night shows that there was an emergency case.
[Commissioner Fuketa’s observation]
A look at the data shows that, from around July 20, the tainted water level has probably exceeded the O.P. figure of the shielding wall.
The data indicate that seawater radioactive dose has shortly lowered after the construction of the wall has been started, but it rose again by July 20.
It’s a conjecture, but the leak has probably occurred since around the 20th.
[Chairman Kinjo’s observation]
In this area alone, the request for the measurement of radioactive material doses of water on the surface and at the sea lower level is supposed to have been made.
The most recent data indicate that radioactivity was higher on the surface and lower at the sea bottom. No significant differences were supposed to be recorded previously, though.
It’s a conjecture, but isn’t it that contaminated water overflowing from the shielding wall is leaking into the sea, which results in the increase of radioactive doses of water only on the sea surface, contrary to the previous situation?
And so forth… So far no information has contradicted the conjecture according to which tainted water spills over the sea out of the shielding wall. Thus, precautionary measures taking into account the fact that leakages are occurring need to be applied.
Please, launch an SOS if the problem goes beyond TEPCO’s powers! Use whatever at your reach, including the government’s assistance!
A heated discussion took place indicating the gravity of the problem, which shouldn’t be left unsolved just because it goes beyond TEPCO’s capabilities.
This sort of evaluation meeting was very interesting since it mostly focused on TEPCO’s responsibility.
I am also happy that since my concern over the difference between the Nuclear Regulation Authority and TEPCO about the O.P.measurement was addressed. Actually, the discussion doesn’t advance that much, you know.
Intended to TEPCO who wasn’t really able to answer questions, the closing word by commissioner Fuketa was: “it’s a sharp remark, but next time, please, prepare documents and your ears. It’s imperative that you consider seeking for assistance from the Japan Atomic Energy Agency or the Japan Nuclear Energy Safety Organization, or even from the Government.”
I was about to omit this point, but the observation, which pointed to the fact that units 3 and 4 might be in the same situation, and that it is important to rapidly initiate a wide-ranging inspection to check if there’s any pollution, was also worth noting.
To your quick attention!
(Photograph by Ken Oshidori)
(Facebook post)
(Translated from Japanese by Willy Lukebana Toko)
