The emergency shutdown of Kakrapar Atomic Power Station has revived fears about the safety of nuclear installations in the country. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has not yet revealed the exact cause of the leakage of heavy water used to cool the nuclear reactor. Whether due to human error or mechanical failure, the incident reflects badly on the nuclear establishment. Fortunately, the radiation levels were not high enough to cause harm to humans. But being lucky once does not mean we will be lucky again.
Nuclear technology is far too risky to take its safety for granted. It is not just the possibility of a sudden meltdown - as happened in Chernobyl in Ukraine, Third Mile Island in the US and Fukushima in Japan - that should unnerve us, but also the "daily routine emissions" that kill slowly and silently that should worry us.
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In India we have reason to be scared when nuclear reactors are frequently shut down, repaired and switched on. In cases of radiation leak from a nuclear power station, it would be a folly to rely on divine providence to escape. It is infinitely better to awaken our survival instincts when we can and be wiser before the likely event.
When several countries are realising the danger involved in nuclear power generation it would be unwise of India to set store by nuclear power. India must review its nuclear policy and opt for alternative means to meet its energy demands.
To take an indulgent view of unreliable safety measures even after the leak at Kakrapar is to ignore foreboding at our own peril. The government should put the safety of the people before the commercial interests of the nuclear industry.
G David Milton, Maruthancode
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