日本は、東京電力福島原発爆発事故の克服に苦労
Japón lucha para dejar atrás la crisis de Fukushima
Unas 300.000 personas continúan desplazadas dos años después de la catástrofe
Jose Reinoso Pekín 9 MAR 2013 - 22:02 CET
Japan struggles to leave behind the Fukushima crisis
Some 300,000 people are still displaced two years after the disaster
Jose Reinoso Beijing 9 MAR 2013 - 22:02 CET
The March 11, 2011, the earth shook beneath the sea off the northeastern coast of Japan and triggered one of the worst disasters in the history of the country. The earthquake, of magnitude 9 on the Richter scale, caused a giant tsunami that caused more than 19,000 deaths and sparked the biggest nuclear crisis the world has seen since Chernobyl (1986).
The earthquake and tsunami knocked out power and destroyed backup generators of the Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant, about 240 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. The lack of cooling caused fusion reactors and explosions, forcing the evacuation of more than 100,000 people to prevent radioactivity, which contaminated soil, food and water.
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Two years later, Japan has done an enormous advances in the clearance and decommissioning of the plant. But 300,000 people remain displaced from their homes, and experts and environmental organizations criticized the slow pace of reconstruction and the payment of compensation.
"Nuclear power plant. The authorities said in December 2011 that the reactors had been stabilized and placed in cold shutdown. Radiation levels at the plant have declined since the beginning of the crisis, but its exact distribution is unknown because there are areas where it is not already working.
The Fukushima plant, devastated by the tsunami. / AP
After the tsunami, three of the six reactors at the plant recorded mergers, while hydrogen explosions at the No. 4 unit damaged the reactor building and a cooling pool. Despite repeated statements of the company that owns the plant, Tepco, and the government on the safety of the building after being reinforced, the pool situation worries some experts. "You can not say that the plant is fully under control and stabilized, as there are many areas that remain inaccessible. The cooling systems are tentative and damaged reactors continue to pollute the environment and remain vulnerable to frequent earthquakes there in Japan, "said Aslihan Tumer, international director of Greenpeace nuclear issues.
Tepco said this week that the work progresses and plans to remove the fuel rods in the pool in November. The operation will last a year. The company plans to remove the melted fuel from the damaged reactors in the next 10 years, but the complete dismantling of the plant will take three or four decades. One of the main challenges for the technicians is the leakage management and water used to cool the reactor, which is being stored in tanks on the ground. It is estimated that scrapping the plant will cost at least 76,900 million euros.
In the nuclear plant radiation has dropped but untested areas
"Radioactivity in food. The government tightened in April 2012 safety standards in food and beverages. For general food, radioactivity limit was set at 100 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram, and for milk and infant formula in 50. Between then and January, have been detected exceeding the maximum levels allowed in some 2,000 specimens, mainly, mushrooms, fish and meat, on a total of 230,000 made in 17 prefectures, as reported by the Asahi newspaper this week. The newspaper points out that most foods with excessive levels of cesium were not meant to commercial distribution. Cesium 137 has a half-life of 30 years. Farmers and fishermen complain that, despite the rigorous controls showing that their products are safe, many people refuse to buy them.
In a report released in late February, the World Health Organization said that the inhabitants of the places closest to the center are at increased risk of developing certain types of cancer, such as thyroid, breast or leukemia, but outside these areas is not expected to rise in cases of the disease. Greenpeace, which has made their own measurements, complains that "the authorities have continually underestimated the risks and extent of radioactive contamination in Fukushima."
There have been allegations that the cleanliness of the villages around the plant has been responsible in large part to construction companies with little experience, and decontamination is delayed, while waste and debris removed by cleanup crews accumulate in many places, in the absence of formal decision on what to do with them. The Central Government thought have cleaned the main areas in 11 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture by March 2014, but has acknowledged that the goal will be delayed.
"Displaced. Around 300,000 people are still staying in temporary housing and many of them will have to continue to do so several years due to the slow reconstruction efforts. Fear of radiation and the lack of infrastructure and jobs has made the population has decreased in 72,000 people in the three prefectures most affected by the disaster: Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima.
The damaged reactors continue to pollute the environment
Many of the displaced suffer from depression and mental problems. Psychiatrists say it is now, two years after the disaster, when popping the psychological consequences of trauma.
"Families have been forced to separate, and their lands have been contaminated. They can organize their future or have hope because the government does not show the calendar and a way to rebuild their lives. Many suffer the uncertainty of whether they can return to their villages, "says Yoichi Tao, a physicist at the University Kogakuin professor in Tokyo, and director of the Association for the Resurrection of Fukushima. Turner states that "while in areas affected by the tsunami are being built new houses and people are rebuilding their lives, most radiation evacuees living in limbo, unable to return home and rebuild their lives in other part because they lack adequate compensation and support. "
»Reconstruction. New buildings, roads, railways, fishing boats, cars have emerged throughout the northeastern coast of Japan and the economy shows signs of growth, encouraged by government support. The central government has created programs to boost reconstruction, public housing subsidies, easing of regulations and tax breaks. Almost 50% of the debris left by the tsunami have been cremated or buried. In some areas, people are returning to normal life.
But the recovery is slower than expected. Some communities have given up the idea of returning to build their homes in the same places they were and have moved to higher elevations. Others are still waiting for the new urban plans. "In areas of Sendai (Miyagi capital) most affected by the tsunami, we decided to improve defenses against tsunamis and considered more dangerous areas has banned the construction of new homes and have been recommended to those already living in them that move to safer areas inside, "said the reconstruction of Sendai office. The same sources claim that, while in Sendai recovery work is progressing well, "unfortunately, there are still many municipalities in the area of 500 kilometers from the disaster-affected areas where there is no clear end in sight."
Despite the controls of food, many people refuse to buy
52% of the 42 local governments of the regions devastated polled in a recent survey by Asahi say need between six and 10 years to rebuild their communities. 30% said that the rising price of materials and labor shortage have affected the recovery process. The situation is complicated in Fukushima prefecture, where little progress has been made because the decontamination works have slowed reconstruction, and the fear of radiation slows the return of the people.
The government last month extended from three to four years to displaced permission to stay in temporary housing because it is expected that only 55% of new homes planned in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima are ready for the end of March 2014. This means that some 110,000 people will have to continue to live in difficult conditions in manufactured homes. In April 2012, extended to three years the initial two fixed by law.
"Nuclear Strategy. After the accident, most of Japan's nuclear plants were disconnected. Currently, there are only two reactors in progress 50 having operating the country. Popular rejection led the previous government, the Democratic Party of Japan, to adopt an energy policy that would imply the renunciation of nuclear energy in the 2030s. But the executive's conservative Liberal Democratic Party, left the polls last December, announced it would review the nuclear outage. "Will start nuclear reactors when confirmed to be safe," he insisted Shinzo Abe this week. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority presented the draft of the new security measures for nuclear power plants in January. Is expected to take effect in July.
Before the Fukushima disaster, nuclear power provided 30% of the country's electricity. Japan lacks natural resources and the shutdown of plants forced to import more oil, gas and coal, with the consequent impact on the trade deficit.
"Two years ago, just after the nuclear accident, was not optimistic that Japan would use the crisis to rebuild its economy and become a leader in renewable energy technology. Little of this has been done. There have been a few new projects in wind and solar power, but the government seems eager to re-launch nuclear power plants, "said James B. Cole, a professor at Tsukuba University. "I'm disappointed because Japanese citizens have protested little. Most victims in Fukushima Prefecture have received no compensation for their losses. Tepco has raised the price of electricity with little opposition. So far, I see little real change or reform as a result of the March 11, 2011 ".
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