Kakrapar emergency plan rapped

Claiming that India had not learnt a lesson from the Chernobyl disaster, Gadekar pointed out that people living within 30 kms of the accident site had to be evacuated immediately as the reactor continued to spew radioactivity for more than a fortnight.

Tearing apart the Kakrapar emergency preparedness, Gadekar said it took into account the area within a 16 km radius. Moreover, the plan divided the area into 16 sectors, labeled from A to P, in a manner totally incongruent with the local geography.

According to the plan, if the wind was blowing towards sector A during an emergency, its residents would have to move to villages 16 km away in section D. If the wind direction was towards B, C, D, J, K, or L, their residents would have to cross the Tapi using the only bridge near Mandvi, five kms from the plant, thereby opening themselves to contamination while trying to escape it, Gadekar alleged.

Moreover, he charged, the plan accommodated 40,000 people in a high school building and the residents of Mandvi town and two villages in a primary school of Mangrol.

Authorities of the Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant, however, claimed that there were no lacunae in their emergency plan. Moreover, they said, adequate safety measures had been taken in the design, construction and operation of the nuclear power station; the radiation sources were adequately shielded and constantly monitored and all operations carried out in strict accordance with the approved procedure.

They also claimed that the environmental survey laboratory of the plant regularly collected samples of soil, water, food and animals and was equipped with instruments and facilities to give quick advice on appropriate emergency action.

According to Chief Superintendent R Bhiksham, the emergency preparedness plan had been approved by Gujarat state and the National Emergency Response Committee. The plan took into consideration all previous incidents, he said adding that it was periodically reviewed and updated. The plan would be reviewed next month, Bhiksham said.

Maintaining that the Chernobyl plant should not be compared with any nuclear plant in India as the reactors were 8220;different8221;, the chief superintendent said mock drills were conducted regularly in co-ordination with the district authorities. Three types of exercises plant emergency once in three months, site emergency annually and off-site exercises one in two years were conducted, he said, adding however, that they did not require 100 per cent evacuation in the mock drills.

The basic purpose of the drills was to educate the people and see that agencies concerned were responding favourably, Bhiksham said.Preparation were on for the off-site emergency8217; to be held later this year, he said, adding that training would also be given to civil officials, police, RTO and the local people.