Dear Editor,
The Fukushima and Chernobyl accidents have shown to the world that the safety of nuclear reactors cannot be taken for granted even with the best safety systems in the face of natural calamities, mechanical failures or human errors. Both Japan and Russia are still battling the ill-effects of lingering radiation, spending huge sums of money. Therefore, utmost care and competence, apart from a robust disaster management policy, are required for the design, operation and maintenance of the nuclear plants or nuclear energy park being proposed to be set up near the coastal regions of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. It has to be remembered that the lives and rights of man, flora and fauna are at stake with these projects.
Moreover, how are the toxic nuclear wastes, which will remain radioactive for a century or more, going to be safely disposed of, a problem which even a country like Germany is confronted with? In the interests of sustainable development, it would be better if energy needs are met more by renewable sources such as solar, wind (offshore or terrestrial), natural gas and tidal power, biomass, etc., while also conserving existing supplies by improving the energy efficiency of buildings, gadgets and appliances and reducing transmission and distribution losses.
C.V. Krishna Manoj,
Via-e-mail