WATCH: Cameras go inside Fukushima nuclear power plant to show cleanup progress since 2011 tsunami damage
by RT
WATCH: Cameras go inside Fukushima nuclear power plant to show cleanup progress since 2011 tsunami damage
Cameras were invited into the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan to show the progress made since the seaside facility saw three nuclear reactors melt in 2011 due to the effects of a tsunami caused by a magnitude 9 earthquake.
Video from the plant shows damage is still clearly in place and that the cleanup effort is ongoing.
The buildup of contaminated water at the site can be seen, still a problem years after the disaster — and could be a problem for decades to come according to reports. Giant tanks are used at the site to store contaminated water.
Reuters reports that melted fuel within the reactors has yet to be cleaned up and towns surrounding the plant remain closed and empty of residents.
However, a January study by scientists from the University of Georgia and Fukushima University reports that animals in areas surrounding the plant are actually thriving.
Over 90 percent of the plant is said to have so little radioactivity that one needs to only take minimal safety measures when walking through them. Following the destruction in 2011, around 300,000 people were evacuated from areas surrounding the plant.
Around 4000 workers are participating in the cleanup process, which includes ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing Systems) that are used to filter contaminated water, one of the biggest issues at the site. The facility claims the filtering process has been so successful that the water can be released back into the environment once it has been through their filtering process.
Some machinery and damage is still so covered with radiation that it has been left in place in an effort to allow the radiation to decay.
Tokyo is hosting the Olympics over the summer, which means the cleanup process has been more aggressive. Some Olympic events will occur just 60km from the plant.
