Mumbai/Kaiga: In a shocking incident of sabotage, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) on Sunday said radioactive tritium was "deliberately" put in a water cooler at the high-security Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant, exposing about 50 workers to increased level of radiation.
"Somebody deliberately put the tritiated water vials into
a drinking water cooler. Therefore, we are investigating who
is behind the malevolent act," AEC Chairman Anil Kakodkar told
a news agency in Mumbai.
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 JP 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,
maintaining, "It's being investigated".
Kakodkar said, "The investigations are being carried out
from two angles. First, to ascertain as to who contaminated the
water cooler with tritiated heavy water, and, the second, from
radiation protection angle."
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.
PTI
First Published: Monday, November 30, 2009, 09:04