Nuclear hazards

As the world focuses on high-profile nuclear weapons and uranium-enrichment plants, little attention is being paid to the dangers of radioactivity caused by nuclear accidents and careless handling of nuclear waste.

More attention should be paid to the dangers of radioactivity caused by nuclear accidents and carelessness.-File photo

The recent incident in Karnataka, India, where 50 workers were exposed to radiation at a nuclear power plant is an instance of how hazardous nuclear power can be.

The Indian authorities have downplayed last week's happening as 'mischief' and not an accident. But that hardly detracts from the dangers of nuclear power.

The fact is that ever since the atom was tamed - for power generation and bomb production - scientists have been aware of the dangers radioactivity carries for people exposed to it, including cancer.

Many accidents that have occurred in the industrialised world have made headlines. Thus Three Mile Island in 1979, Chernobyl in 1986 and Tokaimura in 1999 created a sensation and gave rise to the awareness of the flip side of nuclear energy.

What needs to be noted is that each of the three accidents occurred in a developed country where precautionary measures are supposed to be stringent.

Yet they could not escape the dangers posed by mechanical failures and carelessness in following safety protocols.

Can we expect better performance from developing countries such as India and Pakistan where workers and the public lack the expertise, awareness and knowledge to make nuclear energy safe?

Though not of a nuclear nature, India's Bhopal gas leak experience in 1986 is a case in point. In Pakistan voices have been raised against the authorities' practice of dumping uranium waste near the mines in Dera Ghazi Khan.

According to reports the incidence of leukemia is higher in the region. Although this has been denied, a recent report that the government plans to set up a new body for pre-disposal storage of radioactive waste makes one wonder what was being done all along.

The government is planning to increase the share of nuclear energy in the power production package from the present one per cent to 4.2 per cent.

Has the safety dimension been taken into account while planning these projects?