CHENNAI: The Scientific committee of People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy( PMANE) affirmed that in three days time, they will present a detailed critique to the response of the Central Government’s Expert Group, which was formed following people’s protest at Koodankulam.M G Devasahayam, convener, scientific committee of PMANE, speaking to media on Sunday said, “ The response of the Centre’s Expert Group to the scientific committee of PMANE confirms the worst fears of the people, that NPCIL(Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd) had grossly compromised on safety and also failed to perform any statutory due diligence.”Citing the responses of the expert committee on matters of siting, Devasahayam said, “ Looks like they decided on the place based on some internet search, without doing any proper scientific study, be it volcanic or tsunami hazard studies. Also, NPCIL had made their response based on the data available to them on 1988.”Pointing out that Koodankulam site is not only prone to small-volume volcanic eruptions, but also to mega-tsunamis with heights exceeding 100 meters, due to presence of two large slumps in the sea bed of Gulf of Mannar less than 100 km from the plant.“ The two slumps (East Comorin and Colombo) which are a massive agglomeration of loosely bound sediment in the sea bed is capable of large submarine landslides causing mega-tsunamis,” observed Devasahayam.Dr V Suresh, general secretary of PUCL( People’s Union for Civil Liberties), said, “ It is quite alarming to see that the NPCIL had failed to take into account the sub-volcanic intrusions and had allowed the siting of the plant in that area. When the United States Government found similar sub-volcanic intrusion in the Yucca Mountain site they later abandoned it. In Koodankulam, beyond 150 meters of earth it is characterized by volcanic material, we don’t see why the government is insisting on pursuing it at the cost of the safety of the people. ”Another crucial failure of NPCIL is the fact that the plant had assured supply of fresh water for merely 36 hours and 25 minutes. In the event of the technical failure at the desalination plant at Minjur, there is no alternative, he pointed out.
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