Interview: Japan's nuclear-contaminated wastewater dumping unilateral, irresponsible, says Pakistani expert

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The decision taken by Japan to release nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the ocean is unilateral and irresponsible, posing a major threat to human lives, livelihoods and the global marine environment, said a Pakistani expert.

"Scientifically and legally, the Japanese government has not demonstrated its position transparently at a global level ... The Japanese government has not been able to take international and regional countries as well as civil society into confidence," Rizwana Abbasi, associate professor of security studies at the National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Despite widespread denunciation at home and abroad, Japan on Thursday started discharging nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean.

Noting that the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was non-viable and inappropriate in granting permission to Japan to release contaminated water, Abbasi stressed the need for reinvestigation by scientists, experts and credible global organizations before dumping the radioactive materials.

"There is an urgency that the IAEA and other international nuke monitoring agencies arrange a panel of international independent experts who evaluate, assess and give impact assessment of the environment and maritime transboundary pollution," the expert said.

She said the contaminated wastewater contained the radioactive element tritium and dozens of other radioactive substances, highlighting that reconsideration of alternative options such as storage and burial in large tanks for a long time and mortar solidification should be adopted.

"This discharge process is not a one-time activity. This would prolong and this is a step-by-step process which would take 30 years. So, definitely, it would create sentiments across the board owing to its larger impacts as radiation would not go away without any trouble," she added.

Commenting on the bearings on the global marine environment and human security, the expert said that there is no doubt that there will be a huge risk to them, underlining that marine products consumed by humans can cause serious health issues and diseases.

Abbasi believed the Japanese government has not only undermined the global community's concerns, but has also completely overlooked how to satisfy its domestic community, particularly the fishing community.

Local fishermen who have not been able to recover from the impacts of the 2011 tsunami incident in the country yet will have to bear the brunt of its government's disappointing decision as many countries and regions have already banned the import of seafood and agricultural products from Japan, she said.