During tsunami, mangroves can protect n-plants, Swaminathan tells Ramesh
To protect Indian nuclear reactors from the fury of tsunamis of the kind that has hit Japan, eminent agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan has suggested that the government promote the growth of mangroves and similar other bio-shields along the coast adjoining the atomic energy installations.
In a letter to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, Swaminathan, now a Rajya Sabha member, has said that during the tsunami that had struck the Indian coast in 2004, many coastal communities had observed that dense mangrove forests had served as a speed-breaker for the oncoming waves and reduced their impact.
The concern now about the safety of nuclear power plants located along the coast such as Kalpakkam and Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu makes me feel that in addition to other steps we should promote bio-shields comprising mangrove and non-mangrove species in the coastal areas adjoining nuclear power plants. For this purpose, it may be worthwhile declaring such areas as Critically Vulnerable Coastal Areas, Swaminathan has written.
Most of Indias nuclear installations are located near the coast and their safety in the event of an earthquake and tsunami has been a subject of intense debate ever since four reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan got damaged in the devastating tsunami that hit the country last week.
Meanwhile, the Environment Ministry has constituted an expert group to assess the capability of industrial projects along the coast to withstand tsunami-type risks. To be headed by Dr A M Muthunayagam, former Secretary of the Department of Ocean Development which has now become part of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the four-member expert group has been asked to evaluate the additional safeguards that need to be put in place in these industrial projects to cope with events like a tsunami.
The group will also suggest measures to be taken to incorporate risk from tsunami while evaluating the environment impact assessment (EIA) for the forthcoming projects. The group will comprise Dr Satish R Shetye, Director of the National Institute for Oceanography, Prof R Ramesh, Director of National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management in Chennai and Dr A Senthil Vel, Director of the Society of Integrated Coastal Management.
In addition, four Expert Appraisal Committees in the Environment Ministry, those dealing with EIAs related to industry, infrastructure, thermal power and nuclear power, have been directed to discuss how threats from tsunamis can be made a part of the terms of reference for EIAs for future projects.