Don't be subjective with China's nuclear power plant

Vietnam does not have a nuclear power plant yet, but we are in a situation where we must have a response plan for situations that may arise from nuclear radiation incidents.

Three Chinese nuclear power plants built near the Vietnamese border have put their first units into operation.

Although nuclear power experts affirm that today's nuclear power technology is very safe and the possibility of a radioactive incident is very small, they also emphasize that safety cannot be considered absolute; the probability is very small but it can still happen.

Furthermore, the magnitude of the danger and the dire consequences of radioactive incidents require us to have contingency plans in place.

Location of three Chinese nuclear power plants near the Vietnam border - Source: Thanh Ha - Graphics: Nhu Khanh

Many countries in the world have radiation monitoring networks, so the detection of radiation leaks occurs early and response plans are promptly developed.

Experts say that a national environmental radiation monitoring and warning network must be established soon, because Vietnam is located next to a number of countries with operating nuclear power plants such as China, or are planning to develop and build plants such as Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia...

In the very near future, when all three plants of Fangcheng, Changjiang and Changjiang (China) operate at full capacity, there will be up to 18 nuclear power generators right near our country's border.

It should be noted that the national environmental radiation monitoring and warning network was included in the planning since 2006, but has not yet come true due to... lack of capital.

But even though the State has set aside 1,000 billion VND to invest in a radiation monitoring and warning system, the work is not yet done.

State management agencies, professional agencies and scientists should not forget an equally important matter, which is that communities living in areas potentially affected by nuclear power plants must be provided with full information, be advised, guided with necessary knowledge and also be trained in methods and skills to handle situations when there are radiation incidents at different levels...

With the distance from nuclear power plants to Vietnam being only about 50km, the farthest being 200km, Quang Ninh and some northern provinces of Vietnam in the area need to have appropriate incident response plans according to the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Among the four sub-zones that require appropriate incident response plans in areas outside nuclear power plants with a capacity greater than 1,000 MW according to the IAEA, Vietnam's border provinces fall into two extended planning distances (EPD) of less than 100km and cargo and food planning distances (ICPD) of less than 300km.

Thus, in addition to monitoring and warning, we also have to develop incident handling plans suitable for the locations of the two above-mentioned zones, with specific response plans for emergency and dangerous situations caused by radioactive incidents, to protect the safety of people, goods and food...

No one wants bad things to happen, but don't wait until the horse is gone to build the barn, especially with nuclear power, there is no room for delay, subjectivity, or even the smallest negligence.

According to Tuoi Tre