By Abdul Wahid Saleem (2018)
Nuclear disasters are not new to mankind. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster stands as the best example for the worst nuclear accident that occurred to mankind. Does that make us question the safety of nuclear power plants? Even though they produce one of the cleanest and greenest energy for mankind? From the earliest time of the discovery of nuclear fission by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, scientists observed the large amount of heat that was produced while fission. This heat the scientist thought of harnessing for energy, the subsequent quest for harnessing the energy led to the invention of the nuclear reactor in its early and sustainable state by Enrico Fermi. There was no looking back; the reactors gradually grew bigger and better over time with many countries opting for setting up a nuclear reactor in their vicinity. The United States ranks at number one with the largest number of nuclear plants at 99 nuclear plants including five under construction. India stands at seventh in the list with a total of 21 reactors including six under construction.
Besides providing clean and sustained energy, nuclear power plants also are a boon to developing countries like India to make a global impact on developing standards. The recent allocation for setting up two more nuclear reactors at KNPP has been sanctioned. The brief conference was done via face-to-face online conference between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narandra Modi and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalitha. They relied mainly on the safety concerns of the nuclear power plant that has been creating a scare for the locals there. Russian President Vladimir boasted about the safety of their nuclear reactors, as they are one of the leading constructors of reactors.
Although assuring all the safety concerns of the reactors, the people are not satisfied. The reasons are many; the recent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan shows us that even a well developed country like Japan was blindfolded and hand tied when mother earth turned violent. The combination of an earthquake and tsunami destroyed the safety procedures of the reactor causing leakage of radiation. The loss was manifolds. Being a developed and fast growing economy Japan, facing all odds rose from the debris and rebuilt itself. Another instance that occurred was the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. This disaster occurred due to errors while running a test run of the facility. What happened next was something that made the nuclear reactor construction a cause of concern for anyone and everyone residing nearby the reactor. Large numbers of cancer cases were reported due to the radiation from the disaster. Though not affected to the parents, these tumors could be passed on to their children and hence complete eradication of the tumor was not possible as it was undetectable.
Although the above-mentioned two disasters may have a great impact, the governments of the respective countries provided adequate compensation, treatment, and many facilities to help them recover from the disasters.
One of the worst disasters that has occurred on Indian soil was the Bhopal gas tragedy. Though this tragedy has nothing to do with nuclear reactors and disasters, the thing that is pointed out in this tragedy was the extent of the Indian government and politicians who gave very little support and help for the victims. The Indian politicians have a brief history in keeping various promises, but making them into reality is rare. The length of lies and fault commitments the Indian politician makes to get voter’s liking are many. Similarly, all the hype and safety of the KNPP are floating in the air but once there occurs any disaster; the air of promises and safety are swept away with the radiation that accompanies the tragedy. It was never the safety of the reactor; it was the concern whether the Indian government would give a helping hand for the victims. The KNPP and its safety measures are class apart, but human errors loom everywhere. In case of any error, all eyes will be looking at the heads who started all these in the first place.