Ban marks Chernobyl anniversary with call for greater support for recovery efforts

UN, 25 April 2014 –“This is an opportunity to pay tribute to the emergency workers who responded, remember the more than 330,000 people who were evacuated from contaminated regions, and stand in solidarity with the millions who still live in the affected areas in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine,” said a statement issued by the spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
The explosion that occurred at Chernobyl on 26 April, 1986 marked the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. The United Nations has played an important role in addressing the challenges faced by affected communities, and remains committed to the UN Action Plan on Chernobyl until 2016.

The Plan contains a declaration of principles embraced by all UN agencies involved in recovery efforts and emphasizes social and economic development and the promotion of healthy lifestyles and community self-reliance.
“Those affected still require targeted yet comprehensive support in creating new livelihoods and restoring self-reliance and self-sufficiency. The Secretary-General applauds the determination of people in affected territories to bring life in the region back to normal,” said the statement.
Mr. Ban noted that Chernobyl recovery has produced new knowledge and experience in addressing the multifaceted consequences of nuclear emergencies.
“Over the years, the United Nations and its partners have tackled development challenges that emerged in the aftermath of the nuclear disaster, supported recovery efforts tailored to addressing the fallout, and found practical solutions on the ground,” the statement noted, adding that Mr. Ban welcomes the request of the General Assembly to fully utilize those experiences in development cooperation worldwide.
“On this solemn occasion, the Secretary-General calls upon the international community to further support the process of recovery and sustainable development in the Chernobyl-affected region, to optimize the knowledge gained for the common good, and to do everything possible to prevent any future nuclear disasters.”
un.org
25/4/14
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Related:

• Chernobyl Radiation Shield Under Threat Amid Ukraine Crisis

Chernobyl Radiation Shield Under Threat Amid Ukraine Crisis

The construction of a contamination shield at the damaged Chernobyl nuclear power plant could be delayed amid the ongoing political crisis in the country, the CEO of aid agency Chernobyl Children International (CCI) told the Irish Independent.

“What can never be forgotten is that the destruction caused by the deadly explosion at Reactor Number 4 at Chernobyl was triggered by the release of just 3 percent of the radioactive material in the plant, the remaining 97 percent of this enormous ticking time bomb of highly unstable nuclear material is still inside the crumbling Chernobyl complex,” Adi Roche said.

• Work on the contamination shield, the largest of its kind in the world, was due to be completed by October 2015 but the turbulent political situation in Ukraine has cast doubt on the project’s progress.

Roche said that the work could be delayed by up to two years, adding that it is essential the international community understand the risks posed by the delay.

“Chernobyl is the old Soviet Union’s deadly legacy to Ukraine, and the world has very real reasons to be extremely concerned about the ongoing threat it poses, especially at a time of great instability and growing hostility between Ukraine and Russia,” Roche said.

An explosion at one of the power plant's nuclear reactors in 1986 led to the worst nuclear disaster in world history, affecting the lives of millions of people. Vast areas, mainly in the three Soviet republics of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, were contaminated by the fallout from the critical nuclear meltdown, with some 200,000 people relocated following the accident.

Workers built a temporary shield over the damaged reactor soon after the disaster, called a sarcophagus. In 2010, work on the new shied started. The primary aim of the project, estimated to cost nearly €1.5 billion, is to prevent further leakage at the crippled reactor.
[RIA Novosti]
23/4/14
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• Giant 100-meter sarcophagus constructed at Chernobyl nuclear plant (PHOTOS, VIDEO RT)

• Roof collapses at Chernobyl nuclear power plant/Κατέρρευσε μέρος της οροφής του πυρηνικού εργοστασίου του Τσέρνομπιλ

Robot detects locations of radioactive leaks at crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.

This handout picture taken by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) on November 13, 2013 shows US nuclear expert Lake Barrett (R) inspecting the unit four reactor building of the crippled TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant at Okuma town in Fukushima prefecture. (AFP Photo/TEPCO)

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For the first time, a remote-controlled robot has detected the exact spot of radioactive water leaks from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant’s Reactor 1, local media reported.

The robot was sent close to the lower part of the Reactor 1 containment vessel at the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi on Wednesday. Its camera captured images of radioactive water leaking from two holes of the vessel into the building housing the reactor, NHK television reported. 
The lower section of the vessel contains water that cools the molten nuclear fuel rods, damaged after the March 2011 earthquake that triggered a tsunami which hit the Fukushima nuclear facility.
The radiation levels in the inspected area were reported at 0.9 to 1.8 sieverts an hour, while a typical release of radiation is generally accepted to be 1 millisievert a year.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the nuclear plant’s operator responsible for the cleanup, has to keep the melted uranium fuel rods of the three damaged reactors cool for them to be relatively stable. Thus, the operator is storing huge amounts of radioactive water at Fukushima nuclear facility.
However, TEPCO engineers said that they cannot estimate the amount of water that leaked through the holes, NHK reported. They also admitted that Reactors 2 and 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi have similar problems.
TEPCO is now planning to use robots to locate other leaks which have been causing concern, as it is important not only in solving water contamination problems but also in carrying out decommissioning of the reactors.

This handout picture taken by Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) on November 13, 2013 shows US nuclear expert Lake Barrett and TEPCO workers inspecting the spent fuel pool at the unit four reactor building of the crippled TEPCO's Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant at Okuma town in Fukushima prefecture. (AFP Photo/TEPCO)

Earlier in November, TEPCO announced that by the end of the month the company will start extracting more than 1,500 fuel rods from the No 4 reactor of the crippled nuclear plant, which contains 10 times more Cesium-137 than Chernobyl did.
The rods are expected to be placed in the outdoor pool at the station by the end of next year.
However, scientists have urged caution as such an operation has never been undertaken, while a mishap could release a huge amount of radiation into the atmosphere or cause an explosion many times worse than the original disaster.
“If something goes wrong this could be a global catastrophe that dwarfs what has happened in Fukushima Daiichi thus far,” Kevin Kamps, a nuclear waste specialist from the organization Beyond Nuclear told RT.
According to experts, complete elimination of the consequences of the nuclear catastrophe will take from 30 to 40 years.
The crippled reactors of the nuclear facility are located near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. After the tsunami that hit Fukushima, the cores of the three reactors melted and burnt through the concrete basement of the reactor zone. The water used to cool them has been leaking into the soil and contaminating the ground water on the premises of the nuclear facility. This water eventually started seeping into the Pacific. According to estimations from Japan’s Ministry of Industry, around 300 tons of contaminated groundwater has leaked into the ocean daily since the nuclear disaster occurred in 2011.
rt.com
14/11/13
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