[Jadukor]

Last time i was in Dhaka i had the chance to visit my hometown which is in Narshingdi. Near my grand parent's place there used to be a nice river. I found that now there are probably 15 or 20 textile mills near the river bank and the river that I used to boat ride frequently as a kid has now turned completely black! I know that this is completely unrelated but such is the standard of business ethics and environmental protection measures in Bangladesh.

I read somewhere that the older generation nuclear reactors use water to cool down the nuclear rods which means that the water needs to be discharged somewhere. Now if that is the case with the model that we are building then it is a huge concern to me about the storage of the water. What about the risks of radioactive discharges seeping into underground streams? What are the logistical options to carry the nuclear waste from Rooppur to the nearby airport? How long do we need to store it temporarily and where? these things need to be clear before we start building the plant isn't it! You don't move into a house until the toilet is fixed.

Secondly if the cooling systems somehow fail what are the backup options available to prevent a meltdown? Are there stress test assessment reports on the particular reactor we are building? Is it considered more safer than Fukushima.

Had our government been very professional to every project it undertakes, I probably would have been less nervous about this. Or perhaps even so, i would have still questioned this since even the Japanese Government failed to prevent Fukushima disaster. I know the dream of having nuclear power has been there since our liberation but I find it troubling that we are moving with this so casually with almost zero consultation with the opposition party and various experts. It also troubles me that the arms deal with Russia is also made in such a close time period as if the two are somehow related.