The government of Japan has been under fire for a long time due to toxic water leaks from its crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, which was damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. However, the government stated on September 3, 2013 that it will spend 47 billion yen in order to solve the problem of toxic leaks and decontaminate radioactive water from the plant.
This announcement has been made just days before the International Olympics committee will decide if Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympics. Under such circumstances, the government is keen to assure that the crisis is under control. The other two cities that are also competing to host the Games include Madrid and Istanbul.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while talking to the cabinet ministers, said, “The world is watching to see if we can carry out the decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, including addressing the contaminated water issues”. The ministers met in order to approve the plan for the measures.
Under the plan, scientists will freeze the soil around the stricken reactors to form a wall, which will direct the ground water away from the plant. Officials have estimated that the project will take two years and will cost 32 billion yen, while the remaining 15 billion yen will be used to improve a water treatment system which is meant to drastically reduce radiation levels.
Photo Credits: Bloomberg
