Okuma to become a base for recovery

January 16, 2013

An artist's rendering of the base for recovery, which will be constructed in the southern part of Okuma town, Fukushima Prefecture (Provided by the Okuma town government)

Town in shadow of stricken nuclear plant to set up base for recovery

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201401160049

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

OKUMA, Fukushima Prefecture--The southern part of this ghost town that co-hosts the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is to be turned into a base for recovery operations with thousands of new residents.

Municipal authorities, in announcing the decision on Jan. 15, said that about 3,000 people are expected to live in the 50-hectare area where radiation levels are relatively low. Of them, 2,000 will be mainly engaged in research for decommissioning the reactors and employees of companies working for the plant.

The project is set for completion by March 2018.

Prior to the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima plant, Okuma town had about 11,000 residents. All of them have since evacuated to other municipalities.

The compound of the nuclear plant is located in the northern part of the town.

Of the town’s original population, 96 percent lived in neighboring areas where radiation levels are still high. Those areas are currently designated as difficult for people to return to.

However, the southern part of the town is designated as less serious in that while people are currently restricted from living there, they are able to contemplate their return once decontamination work is carried out.

The southern area to be used as a recovery site accounts for 0.6 percent of the town's total land area.

Prior to the nuclear accident, about 300 people, or 3 percent of the population, were living in the area.

On Jan. 15, the town authorities also announced a plan to complete construction of infrastructure that is vital for people’s daily lives in all of the areas in the town, except for the compound of the nuclear plant, by April 2033.

The deadline was based on the projected decline in radiation levels following decontamination work.

It is the first time that a municipality affected by the nuclear accident set the deadline of that kind for areas including those designated as difficult to return to.