Sri Lanka threatened by India's new nuke plants

The Sri Lankan government has proposed an MoU to India on nuclear disaster management, according to Power Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka.

The proposal was made considering dangers posed by India’s nuclear plants close to Mannar and northern Sri Lanka.

“If there is a nuclear accident that causes radiation to escape in Koodankulum nuclear power plant or any other nuclear plant, that may affect Mannar and north,” he said.

“We have pointed out this to India and we are in the process of monitoring the radiation levels in the areas” Minister
Ranawaka added.

Last week Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jeyaram Jayalalitha gave the go-ahead to the plant and declared that the plant which was started in 1987 will finally start production within two months.

The Indian government has agreed to implement a disaster management programme and train people within thirty kilometres of the power plant to protect them in the event of a nuclear disaster.

Minister Ranawaka agrees with Tamil Nadu that the southern Indian state does not have any option other than nuclear power ‘at present’.

However, the minister says that it is the duty of the Indian government to ‘discuss issues surrounding nuclear energy with neighbouring Sri Lanka’ prior to commissioning power plants.

Environmentalists are not happy with the way Sri Lanka handling the issue.

Reminding how ineffective Sri Lankan response to the Sethusamudram, Centre for Environmental Justice says that Sri Lanka should have registered its opposition more rigorously.

Hemantha Withanage of CEJ proposes that Sri Lankans should join hands with the anti-nuclear campaigners in India.

“If we consider the nuclear disasters such as Long Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear power is not as rosy as politicians portray,” he said.

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