Chernobyl to Koodankulam

25 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the place still remains abandoned and dangerous. There are no people, there are no lives; only the remains of the once-bustling town of Chernobyl and plenty of dangerous radioactive materials.

On April 26, 1986 the world’s worst nuclear power plant disaster changed lives of people in USSR forever. Everyone left their place hoping to return back in a few days but they never did, as everything owned or used was highly contaminated with dangerous radioactive materials. Even after all these years, Chernobyl is still a dangerous place.Eating, smoking or touching any structure or vegetation in exclusion zone is prohibited. Harmful radioactive dust covers almost everything including nearby Priyat River. Visitors are required to sign a waiver absolving the Ukraine government of any liability due to health problem that may result from visit.

The radiations emitted at that time was 400 times stronger than that of in Hiroshima in 1945.Nobody knows how many people perished due to the disaster. Official record states that 31 people died immediately from radiation and more are affected by radiation related diseases like cancer. Children were more vulnerable to cancer as they drank milk with high level of radioactive iodine. Other staples like berries, mushrooms and potatoes are still contaminated in Ukraine. Cultivation is totally stopped in Chernobyl and fields have given way to dense forest where wildlife is slowly coming back. This is only a brief description about the disasters that happened in Ukraine.

location of Koodankulam NP(A)

Now I would like to consider things that are happening in Koodankulam. In our country officials and government are busy with setting a nuclear power plant in Kodankulam without considering the voice of local people staying there. Examining the geographical location of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the plant is located on the edge of the sub continent land and near to Indian Ocean. Southern Tamil Nadu is Known For Tsunami from ancient time. Several historical document claims that many major cities have been wiped out due to huge Tsunami. We also know that in Dec 2004 southern India was swept by huge tsunami triggered due to an underwater earth quake near Indonesia .And one more thing about Kodankulam plant, the site is located at an altitude of 8.7m from mean sea level, while Fukuhima Nuclear Plant it is at a height of 14m to 15m from sea level and we all know about what happened there.

Impact of Tsunami on Koodankulam Plant can be catastrophic due to its geographic location and altitude. The scale of destruction of a possible Tsunami does call for attention and scrutiny of the project. So officials and government should rethink about this project to be built in same place. Otherwise chance of Koodankulam becoming another Chernobyl is high. Pray that this may not to happen.