One doesnt normally give in to bouts of mild panic but there is something unnerving about the events unfolding at the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. As a global effort begins to contain the escalating ecological and economic crisis, we see that Pakistan isn’t the only country going through a rough patch in the first quarter of the year. We also see that the challenge of meeting energy needs lies at the heart of the issue and is one faced by both Pakistan and Japan.
The similarities stop there for while Pakistan’s energy problems stem from a failure to govern our vast natural resources responsibly, the land of the rising sun depends heavily on imported energy inputs which necessitates them having over fifty nuclear power plants in operation. Japan has clearly taken bold steps and as long as we are going to be casual observers (if not unwilling victims) of the Fukushima incident and its aftermath, decision-makers in Pakistan would do well to stop the political bickering, sit up and take notes.
Over three weeks have passed since the tsunami had its way with Fukushima and now the latest measure to control the situation appears to be a desperate one. Earlier this week, Japan began releasing more than 3 million gallons of radioactive water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean, freeing storage space for even more highly radioactive water that has hampered efforts to stabilise the reactors. To deliberately harm one’s own ecology seems like the lesser of two evils (or standard operating procedure in Pakistan) but the release now threatens to affect the whole world if the radiation should spread widely enough through ocean currents and migratory or transboundary species. We may have to wait a while before three headed glow-in-the-dark fish is sighted because more immediate problems require the attention of our decision makers.
Japan and Pakistan share strong trade relations as we are a major importer of Japanese products. From finished goods to components, Japans engineering excellence finds its way into the several items of our daily use. And that makes the situation more alarming for us. While the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) may have our civilian and military nuclear facilities under control, it is the container, the car and the courier package entering the country that one is more concerned about. Before we reach for the Geiger counter in a bid to determine radiation levels ourselves, we must accept the lack of baseline data to measure any variations against. If we dont know the background levels of radiation in our country, how will we ever be able to determine increased radiation from the Fukushima disaster in case the worst should happen?
Perhaps the Pakistani government needs to learn from others, especially a large neighbouring country to the East of Pakistan which has taken drastic measures to control the spread of radiation through trade and commerce. Just this week, our neighbor slapped a three-month ban on imports of food from Japan amid fears of radioactive contamination from the nuclear disaster. Although a government statement said the ban could be extended until radiation fears subside, it is still not clear if the order was a blanket ban or applied only to products from specific areas. However, the fact remains that the radiation is spreading to other parts of Japan, and may result in further radioactive contamination in the supply chain of exports.
As it stands, airborne radiation has already reached American soil and is expected to continue its trajectory around the world. Whether it will eventually reach Pakistan is moot and requires concerted efforts of the PNRA to adopt preventive and corrective measures in the public interest.
The PNRA presently oversees two nuclear power plants at Karachi and Chashma and has boldly declared that the two facilities meet the requirements of national nuclear regulations which are at par with the international requirements and do not pose any unwarranted radiation hazard to public or the environment. Although they maintain that the geographical differences between Pakistan and Japan reduce the possibility of a similar accident, PNRA has nevertheless issued instructions for nuclear facilities to prepare themselves for every eventuality, natural or man-made.
What the PNRA forgets is that even the most advanced economies of the world have to eat humble pie as they face up to their own fallibility from time to time. And Pakistan is no different. As a matter of fact, we are in an even more precarious position with an energy deficit and the probability of a man-made disaster increasing day by day. These conditions necessitate extra vigilance on the part of the government which needs to refrain from making statements that misrepresent the state of affairs and puts the lives of Pakistanis at risk. Nuclear power may well be the key to energy security for Pakistan if civilian facilities are developed with international assistance. What we need to do is learn from the mistakes of others so that atoms can be used for peace instead of war.
The writer is a consultant on public policy.
