Kaiga leakage: Kakodkar calls it deliberate,probe on

Describing the incident as a serious operating procedure lapse,he said people involved will be punished under the Atomic Energy and other acts after investigation. In New Delhi,Minister of State for Atomic Energy Prithviraj Chavan said an inquiry is already in progress. It has to be seen whether it was an act of a “disgruntled” individual,he said,noting,”We will find answers soon.”

About 45 to 50 employees working in the first maintenance unit of the Kaiga plant in Uttara Kannada district were treated at the plant hospital in Mallapur for increased level of tritium after they drank water from a cooler in the operating area on November 24,official sources said. Tritium,a radioactive isotope of hydrogen,is used in research,fusion reactors and neutron generators.

The plant’s Station Director J P Gupta said on phone from Kaiga that investigations have revealed that one of the water coolers was found to be contaminated and as a precautionary measure,body samples of all the persons working in the area were analysed and based on those results,a few were sent for medical consultation.

He said Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited has launched a probe by an experts committee and the incident has also been reported to the intelligence department. All the persons are on their normal duty now,Gupta said. Asked if he suspected “conspiracy” and “sabotage” behind the episode,Gupta said he did not wish to comment.

“The investigations are being carried out from two angles. First to ascertain as to who contaminated the water cooler with tritiated heavy water,and second from radiation protection angle is being investigated”,Kakodkar said.

B Bhattacharjee,Member,National Disaster Management Authority,said the cooler was found to be sealed. “But later on,the investigators found that through the drainage,the overflow line of the cooler,that it seems some mischief monger inserted some tritiated water and contaminated the whole cooler. And people have consumed that (water),” he said.

Bhattacharjee said,”As soon as it was detected,they did a routine sampling. They gave some diuretics to all. Out of 55,53 have been cleared.” Denying any release of radioactivity in and outside the Kaiga plant,Nuclear Power Corporation’s Chairman and Managing Director S K Jain said all units of the plant are normal and none of its workers have been admitted to hospital. Uttara Kannada district Superintendent of Police Raman Gupta said,”We are taking it (the incident) seriously as public interest is involved. We are waiting for the nod from Kaiga authorities for investigation.”

Kaiga currently has three 220 mw plants — two are operational and one has been shut-down from October 20 for annual maintenance. A fourth one is slated to be operational from later this financial year.

Few years back a similar malevolent act was observed in Tarapur atomic power sub-station and the culprits were dismissed after investigations.