Japan: The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has started to release its third round of treated and diluted wastewater into the Pacific Ocean.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) reportedly said that it will pump 460 tonnes of radioactive water per day into an underwater tunnel until November 20, 2023.
The first water release occurred from August 24 to September 11, 2023. The second release started from October 5 to 23, 2023.
According to the statement, TEPCO plans to release a total of 31,200 tonnes of water in four rounds till March 2024.
Fishermen who get fish from the water released into the ocean have been in protest since its first round of release because they were concerned about the safety of the radioactive water.
However, Japan said the water is safe, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and many leading economies have supported Japan’s claim.
But China and Russia have banned all Japanese food imports, saying Japan is polluting the environment.
The IAEA has examined the water and fish samples to ensure the safety of the water and has previously said it causes no harm.
The tsunami in 2011 following an earthquake devastated the plant, destroying its cooling system, which led to the reactor cores overheating and contaminating water within the facility with highly radioactive material.
After that, the TEPCO poured water into the reactors’ fuel rods to cool down. As a result of this, the plant produces contaminated water every day, which is stored in more than 1,000 tanks.
Before releasing the treated water, TEPCO dilutes it to reduce toxicity as per World Health Organization (WHO) standards to make it drinkable.
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