Fukushima radioactive water leak now a 'serious incident'

The Nuclear Regulation Authority in Japan has upgraded the rating of the radioactive groundwater leak at the damaged nuclear plant in Fukushima, from a one to a three. Following the identification of a leak in a groundwater storage tank, which saw some 300 tonnes of radioactive water seep out of the tank, on August 19th, the international level of the plant has now reached 'serious incident'.

Groundwater has been stored in on-site tanks at the nuclear power plant, which was damaged in the tsunami and earthquake of 2011, after it leaked into the crippled reactor and became highly radioactive. Early this month (August) a leak was detected after 300 tonnes of highly contaminated water was found to be missing from a tank. The level of radioactivity that a person would be subjected to from this water is the equivalent amount that a nuclear plant worker would be in a five-year period.

This incident has now been reclassified from Level 1, which is classed as an 'anomaly', to Level 3, or 'serious incident' on an international scale. The reclassification is also a sign that the Japanese government is stepping in  further in the managing of the plant and the continuing troubles with leaking radioactive water.

The increased level of government involvement has been met by many with positivity, as the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which has been handling the nuclear plant, has been repeatedly criticised for its handling of the situation. The failure of the company to control the groundwater problem at an earlier stage has led to many more problems and around five separate leaks of radioactive water.

The latest group to condemn Tepco is the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, which told the power company that its management of the contaminated water had completely failed. It is believed that some of the water from the leaked tank has run into the Pacific Ocean and that water may have already made its way to the ocean from the nuclear plant previous to this incident.

The suspected leak of groundwater into the ocean has meant that much of the local fishing activity has had to be stopped until further investigations are conducted, leaving many people without a livelihood with which to support themselves or their families.