ID :
209186
Sat, 09/24/2011 - 18:22
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/209186
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Fukushima municipality heads concerned over lifting of evacuation advisory
FUKUSHIMA, Japan, Sept. 24 Kyodo - Heads of five municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture affected by the ongoing nuclear crisis have aired concerns over the government's plan to lift its evacuation advisory in the event of an emergency, saying not enough has been done to ensure the safety of residents.
In recent interviews with Kyodo News, the chiefs of the five local governments said they were especially worried about the cleanup of radioactive substances released from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant and the disposal of radioactive waste. The Fukushima Daiichi plant, the source of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, suffered massive damage due to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The advisory covers the entire town of Hirono and parts of Naraha, the village of Kawauchi, and the cities of Tamura and Minamisoma, where roughly 59,000 residents have been told to be prepared to evacuate or remain indoors in the event of an emergency. About 25,000 have evacuated.
The areas are in a ring located 20-30 kilometers from the crisis-hit nuclear plant. Children, pregnant women and people who need medical support have been advised to evacuate, and schools and kindergartens there are closed based on the government advisory issued on April 22.
In August, the central government said it would lift the evacuation advisory in the near future, saying there is only a slight risk of cooling system failures at the nuclear plant and radiation exposure levels are very low in the area.
The government is set to lift the advisory by the end of September as the five municipalities have submitted recovery plans which spell out details of decontaminating their areas and rebuilding basic infrastructure.
The municipal governments of Kawauchi and Tamura said they are planning to allow residents to return to their homes next March, while Hirono said it would do so by the end of 2012.
Minamisoma, whose residents account for some 80 percent of the 59,000 residents covered by the advisory, asked its citizens in July to return to the city by the end of August and has not issued instructions since then.
Naraha said it would ask residents to return home when the central government abolishes the 20-kilometer no-go zone around the nuclear plant.
In an interview, Hirono Mayor Motohoshi Yamada criticized the central government for lifting the advisory before implementing steps to thoroughly decontaminate radiation-contaminated areas.
''We will not allow our residents to return home unless their safety is secured. We are also concerned about how to finance the cost of the decontamination work,'' Yamada said.
Minamisoma Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai said the city began clean-up activities in August, but has found it difficult to decontaminate mountains, farmlands and rivers.
''There are no benchmark figures to refer to in our efforts to lower radiation and reassure our residents. We will proactively release information so that they can judge themselves whether to return home,'' Sakurai said.
Tamura Mayor Yukei Tomitsuka urged the central government to clarify the target amounts for radiation decontamination because the city lacks the expertise to do so itself.
Kawauchi Mayor Yuko Endo said villagers are uneasy as they do not know how long the decontamination process will continue and radioactive waste will remain.
Naraha Mayor Takashi Kusano said the town will not urge its residents to return home even after the government lifts the evacuation advisory because most of the residential areas fall in the 20-km no-entry zone. He said the city will give priority to the decontamination of industrial areas so companies can resume operating.
In recent interviews with Kyodo News, the chiefs of the five local governments said they were especially worried about the cleanup of radioactive substances released from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant and the disposal of radioactive waste. The Fukushima Daiichi plant, the source of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, suffered massive damage due to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
The advisory covers the entire town of Hirono and parts of Naraha, the village of Kawauchi, and the cities of Tamura and Minamisoma, where roughly 59,000 residents have been told to be prepared to evacuate or remain indoors in the event of an emergency. About 25,000 have evacuated.
The areas are in a ring located 20-30 kilometers from the crisis-hit nuclear plant. Children, pregnant women and people who need medical support have been advised to evacuate, and schools and kindergartens there are closed based on the government advisory issued on April 22.
In August, the central government said it would lift the evacuation advisory in the near future, saying there is only a slight risk of cooling system failures at the nuclear plant and radiation exposure levels are very low in the area.
The government is set to lift the advisory by the end of September as the five municipalities have submitted recovery plans which spell out details of decontaminating their areas and rebuilding basic infrastructure.
The municipal governments of Kawauchi and Tamura said they are planning to allow residents to return to their homes next March, while Hirono said it would do so by the end of 2012.
Minamisoma, whose residents account for some 80 percent of the 59,000 residents covered by the advisory, asked its citizens in July to return to the city by the end of August and has not issued instructions since then.
Naraha said it would ask residents to return home when the central government abolishes the 20-kilometer no-go zone around the nuclear plant.
In an interview, Hirono Mayor Motohoshi Yamada criticized the central government for lifting the advisory before implementing steps to thoroughly decontaminate radiation-contaminated areas.
''We will not allow our residents to return home unless their safety is secured. We are also concerned about how to finance the cost of the decontamination work,'' Yamada said.
Minamisoma Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai said the city began clean-up activities in August, but has found it difficult to decontaminate mountains, farmlands and rivers.
''There are no benchmark figures to refer to in our efforts to lower radiation and reassure our residents. We will proactively release information so that they can judge themselves whether to return home,'' Sakurai said.
Tamura Mayor Yukei Tomitsuka urged the central government to clarify the target amounts for radiation decontamination because the city lacks the expertise to do so itself.
Kawauchi Mayor Yuko Endo said villagers are uneasy as they do not know how long the decontamination process will continue and radioactive waste will remain.
Naraha Mayor Takashi Kusano said the town will not urge its residents to return home even after the government lifts the evacuation advisory because most of the residential areas fall in the 20-km no-entry zone. He said the city will give priority to the decontamination of industrial areas so companies can resume operating.
