Thursday, August 11, 2011

Massacred by the (power)^2!!



Every contemporary accessories and gadgets are there to fulfill one’s need. As technology thrive forward and everyday it has given us a new invention but a few of them brings a lot of dangers along with the comfort package.

A simple example, a cell phone that is indispensable for each and every citizen of the world but this useful gadget too having some demerits in it. Today my topic in wider thing than a cell phone, it is about Nuclear Energy.

When Manmohan Singh’s Government own the debate for Indo US Nuclear Agreement in the Parliament emphatically, I was one of those happy person but at the same time the nuclear power plant stands on the border between humanity's greatest hopes and its deepest fears for the future. On one hand, atomic energy offers a clean energy alternative that frees us from the shackles of fossil fuel dependence. On the other, it summons images of disaster.

What it is all about

The process of generation nuclear power starts with the mining and processing of uranium and other radioactive elements. These elements are used to feed the reactor of a nuclear power plant, generating a reaction known as fission which creates intense heat, turning water in the plant into steam. The steam powers steam turbines, which generate electricity and feed the electricity into the electrical grid.

When nuclear power is used to power something like a submarine the reactor runs the engines, with the steam directly powering the engines. In both cases, the reactor requires careful supervision, because runaway nuclear reactions must be stopped as quickly as possible to prevent serious problems. Many nuclear power plants have extensive automated systems which help to identify potential trouble spots, and these systems can also re-route power, turn off parts of the plant, and perform other tasks which make the plant safer and cleaner. The water in the reactor also serves as a coolant for the radioactive material, preventing it from overheating and melting down.

Safety is both a pro and con, depending on which way you see it. The results of a compromised reactor core can be disastrous, but the precautions that prevent this from happening prevent it well. Nuclear power is one the safest methods of producing energy.

Disasters and severely effected areas

CHERNOBYL, Ukraine

It's estimated that up to 100,000 people died in the worst nuclear disaster ever and radiation levels are still 700 times greater than normal. The Chernobyl nuclear accident is widely regarded as the worst accident in the history of nuclear power. It is the only nuclear accident that has been classified a "major accident" by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Kyshtym, Russia

The Soviet Union was also home to the second-most disastrous nuclear accident, at the Mayak Nuclear Power Plant near the city of Kyshtym. IAEA classified the event as a Level 6 Disaster, which is a "serious accident."

Windscale Fire, Great Britain

Windscale fire occurred in 1957. It is estimated that 200 people in Britain developed cancer because of  Windscale, half of them fatal.

Three Mile Island, United States

The United States' most disastrous nuclear accident took place at the Three Mile Island Plant near Harrisburg, Penn., the state's capitol. It all began with a simple plumbing break down. 

Tokaimura, Japan

TOKAI POWER PLANT: In 1997, uranium from about 2,000 barrels escaped in a shaft at the plant.

THAR DESERT, RAJASTHAN, India: Used for five atomic tests as recently as 1998

FUKUSHIMA UPDATE: "It will take three, five, ten years, or eventually several decades to take care of the accident." Fukushima has been upgraded to a level 7 disaster.

I am not against it but after repeated disasters, government never learned the lesson. Yet there are some loophole in the necessary safety norms for prevention. Only sufferer are the peoples who are living in the surrounding areas of the said plants.

Is Jaitapur is the next? 

!!!Often demons of the comfort is bigger than the comfort itself.!!!

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