India’s planned Jaitapur nuclear plant in earthquake zone

local people are worried that the government is hiding and misrepresenting facts since the region falls in a moderate to high severity earthquake zone as per a government notification.

Jaitapur nuclear plant in seismic zone A Tata Institute of Social Sciences report has criticised the location of the Jaitapur nuclear power plant in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, Gulf News, By Pamela Raghunath, December 31, 2010 Mumbai: A Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) report has criticised the location of the Jaitapur nuclear power plant in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra as sitting on an earthquake zone even as the state government plans to hold a public discussion to clear the air for the proposed reactor.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan plans to rope in atomic energy experts and representatives of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), which will set up the project in collaboration with Areva, a French company, to dispel the “misinformation” created by activists at a public discussion in January. The project will have six 1650 MW reactors to be commissioned in a phased manner from 2018.
An impact assessment report by Mahesh Kamble, a social scientist at the Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management at the TISS, states that the project will have a “huge negative impact on social and environment development.” Local people who believe the project will harm their environment and livelihood are also concerned about the location of nuclear plants in a seismic area which could lead to a major catastrophe.

Compiled after interaction with over 120 villagers, the report states that local people are worried that the government is hiding and misrepresenting facts since the region falls in a moderate to high severity earthquake zone as per a government notification. One of the villagers has said there was no response to queries under the Right to Information Act on the frequency and severity of seismic activities over the years……
The TISS findings in the “Perception Matter-People’s Report-Social Impact Assessment of Jaitapur Madban Nuclear Power Plant” study has also indicated that the government subverted facts and called the fertile region as “barren.

gulfnews : Jaitapur nuclear plant in seismic zone

December 31, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general

2 Comments »

This is one good thing I like about India. While I completely understand their need to provide clean energy to its population to sustain the spectacular growth, there are voices, I would say check and balances that only a democracy can provide. This exactly is what the other Asian power, China lacks and will eventually lead to trouble for the rest of the world..

Comment by ben | December 31, 2010 | Reply
First of all, nuclear energy is not “clean” – leaving poisonous radioactive wastes that nobody knows how to deal with, and they last for many thousands of years. Also not “clean” in that the total nuclear fuel cycle -uranium mining to waste “disposal” produces greenhouse gases.

One thing I don’t like about India. In this situation, we do not see democracy at work – quite the opposite. The Indian government appears to be working here in the interests of the Franch nuclear company AREVA – and just trampling on the rights of its own people.

Comment by Christina MacPherson | December 31, 2010 | Reply