Japan aims to totally clean Fukushima of radiation
July 15th, 2011 - 10:04 am ICT by IANSLondon, July 15 (IANS) The Japanese city of Fukushima, whose nuclear power plant was badly damaged by a magnitude-9 earthquake, has now revealed a plan to clean every building and road of radiation, a British newspaper reported.
The local government said the plan to scrub every building and road clean of radioactivity may take up to 20 years, the Daily Telegraph reported from Tokyo.
“We are drawing up a plan to clean our city and the first phase of the project will be announced early next month,” said Akane Saito, a spokeswoman for the city government.
The cost of the two-decade clean-up operatioon is likely to run into billions of yen.
Authorities are hoping to receive funding from the national government and the Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled nuclear plant.
An 18-mile exclusion zone has been declared around the plant, where emergency teams are working around the clock to keep the plant reactors cool and contain further leaks of radioactivity.
However, radioactivity has gone well beyond the no-go zone. At least 10 children from Fukushima had urine samples tested for radioactivity and came back positive.
“Of course I am worried about the radiation and we have no idea how it will affect us, but I’m not thinking about leaving as this is my home town and this is my job,” Saito said. “It is my responsibility to work for the people of the city.”
The decontamination plan proposes using high-power hoses to wash the exteriors of buildings and then collect and dispose the radioactive debris and contaminated water.
Surface soil will also be collected from schools, hospital grounds, parks and other public facilities.
- Japan declares 20 km no-go zone around Fukushima n-plant - Apr 21, 2011
- Up to 1,000 bodies left untouched near Fukushima nuke plant over 'high levels of radiation' fears - Mar 31, 2011
- Japanese company finds radiation traces in baby powder - Dec 07, 2011
- Japan quake victims' bodies could be radioactive - Apr 01, 2011
- Japan widens evacuation zone near tsunami hit Fukushima nuke plant - Apr 22, 2011
- Blast in another n-reactor in Japan, 2,000 more bodies found (Second Lead) - Mar 14, 2011
- TEPCO to cleanup radioactive debris from n-plant by July - Apr 25, 2011
- Radiation risk from Japan nuke plant 'considerably smaller': Official - Apr 11, 2011
- Fresh radioactive water leakage at Fukushima n-plant - Jan 22, 2012
- Radioactive water leaks at Japan nuclear plant - Mar 19, 2012
- Radiation rises to 1,000 times above normal level near Fukushima plant - May 04, 2011
- Radiation levels still within norm in Russia's Far East - Mar 29, 2011
- Greenpeace suggests doubling Fukushima evacuation zone - Mar 29, 2011
- Workers enter Fukushima's no.1 reactor for the first time since the earthquake and tsunami - May 05, 2011
- Japanese n-specialists enter Fukushima reactor building - May 05, 2011
Tags: akane, city government, contaminated water, daily telegraph, electric power co, emergency teams, japanese city, magnitude 9 earthquake, mile exclusion zone, national government, nuclear plant, nuclear power plant, radioactive debris, radioactivity, reactors, saito, surface soil, tokyo electric, urine samples, water surface