Perilous
Times
High radiation forces Japan to widen nuke evacuation zone
May 15, 2011 - 10:14PM
AFP
Japan has started the first evacuations of homes outside a
government exclusion zone after the March 11 earthquake and
tsunami crippled one of the country's nuclear power plants.
About 4000 residents of Iidate-mura village and 1100 people in
Kawamata-cho town, in the quake-hit northeast, began the phased
relocations to public housing, hotels and other facilities in
nearby cities.
Their communities are outside the 20km radius from the Fukushima
Daiichi power plant, officially designated as an area of forced
evacuation due to health risks from the radiation seeping from the
ageing and damaged plant.
The government told people in communities such as Iidate-mura they
had to leave but authorities are unlikely to punish those who
choose to stay.
"I am sure all of you have lived in Iidate-mura all your life and
never moved," mayor Norio Kanno told a group of residents
preparing to leave their homes.
"Considering the future of our children and young people, as well
as the health of our village residents, we have no choice but to
go ahead with the village-wide evacuation.
"I will do whatever I can so that you will be able to return home
as soon as possible."
The first batch of evacuees were mostly those with small children
and pregnant women, who are considered more vulnerable.
Although Iidate-mura and Kawamata-cho are 30km from the plant,
they have consistently received high amounts of radioactive
materials due to wind patterns.
The plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), was
heavily damaged by the record 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing
tsunami, which sparked the world's worst atomic crisis in 25
years.
Emergency crews have also started reassessing the status of
reactor one at the six-reactor power plant after discovering the
fuel inside had apparently melted down, TEPCO said.
About 3000 tonnes of highly radioactive contaminated waste water
have been discovered under reactor one, forcing officials to think
of ways to properly pump it out and process it, it said.
Ruling-party MP Goshi Hosono, special aide to Prime Minister Naoto
Kan, said the government still hoped to keep its pledge to achieve
the cold shutdown of four damaged reactors by the end of the year.
He added reactor three has not cooled down as hoped earlier,
saying it was more of a worry to him than reactor one, which has
been relatively stable at low temperatures.
In a related development, Chubu Electric Power Co said all
reactors at its ageing Hamaoka nuclear power plant entered into a
state of "cold shutdown" on Sunday.
Seismologists have long warned that a major earthquake is overdue
in the Tokai region southwest of Tokyo where that plant is
located.
Kan said it should stay shut until a higher sea wall is built and
other measures are taken to guard it against a quake and tsunami.