KARACHI: Nuclear scientists, civil rights
activists, academia and students discussed at length the various issues and
challenges for setting up nuclear power plants in the country along with concerns
and perceptions which cause resentments in the masses related to their lives
and climate change.
The panel discussion was one of the rare in
recent time organised by Habib University on Saturday which invited experts
leading a campaign against the construction of K-2 and K-3 projects and the
other who are supporter of the establishment of power producing projects, as
against, discussions and events taken place separately by two parties for
public awareness to advocate their views.
Experts against of the nuclear projects
concerned about the environmental fallout of radiations associated with the
process of electricity generation through nuclear enrichment. And, the threat
it pose to marine animals and plants by releasing processed water.
Dr A H Nayyar, a physicist and nuclear
activist, said the setting up K-2 and K-3 plants is greater risks to the lives
of millions of people living in metropolis, mainly those residing in nearby
localities who will be exposed to absorb harmful radiations. He said the
construction of the plants are being done violating the international rules
stating that project should be developed not less than 15-kilometer of the
residential area, as a massive level of destruction and loss of human lives
could be occurred in case of any untoward incident, which had happened in past
in different countries.
He emphasised that nuclear plants are only 28
percent efficient as against of renewable power plants, which are efficient and
being set up aggressively by different countries unlike Pakistan, which is
lacking in this field despite avenues and advantage of setting projects of wind
and solar energy along with the growing demand of electricity in the country.
Referring to Fukushima incident of Japan in
2011, Arif Bilgrami, an architect and active campaigner against nuclear power
plant, said that hundred thousands of people were relocated from the societies
situated in the surrounding of plants, and the concerns about K-2 and K-3
project is about the safety of the big population of densely populated city,
which is also economic heartland of the country.
Dr Nausheen Hafeeza Anwar, Assistant Professor
at IBA said the nuclear projects are being constructed with a high cost of $10
billion compare with different projects. She said the small nuclear projects
could be constructed instead of mega plants, which may result efficiency in the
system and effective distribution and supply of electricity.
Former Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission
(PAEC) chairman Dr Ansar Pervaz responded to concerns of the panellists saying
that K-2 and K-3 projects are advanced and based in the category of generation
four with sophisticated technology and mechanism with prevention and safety of
accidents.
He said the present nuclear plants are
emitting negligible radiation as against of radiations in different cities of
Pakistan, which varies from 5 msv to 10 msv, whereas during CT-scan the
radiations are measured at 30 msv, which are not harmful at all for the
individuals.
The power plants are being constructed in a
way that danger is unlikely, even in worst scenario the damage could spread up
to 5-km in the surrounding area whereas the project are 11-km away from
population on the demand of Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA).
He said that nuclear plants are set up near
seaside and a city to generate electricity for domestic and industrial sector
whereas the contribution of economy estimated at Rs 10 billion annually with
2,000 generation of jobs. On the other hand, desalination plants will be
working to provide clean water to area people with no harmful affects to marine
animals. Referred to US, he said there are 28 nuclear plants being operated in
a state with population located in less than 5-km radius. It is because of the fact
that safety designs are made advanced to reduce the risk up to minimum level.
K-2 and K-3 plants are tested and safest as
any radioactivity disturbance could be controlled for 72 hours in addition to
barriers of first containment and second containment, besides safety
equipments, which are designed to operate automatically without engineers and
electricity are installed at plants, said Pervaz who recently retired from the
PACE and supervised the designing and planning of nuclear project. He said the nuclear
plants are up to 85 percent efficient and highly reliable than renewable energy
with less efficiency and credibility, however the cost of the projects are
expensive for its construction but its operations are low cost which generate
the cheaper electricity than any other resources.
Pervaz concluded that power projects could be
established using sources like coal, thermal, solar and wind but nuclear should
be added in an energy mix because of the fact that it produces cheaper
electricity.
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