Indian Government to Investigate Water Contamination

How heavy nuclear water came to be mixed with staff drinking water at the Kaiga Atomic Power Plant is the million-dollar question.

Around 55 employees working for the first maintenance unit of the Karnataka-based plant were treated for increased levels of tritium, after they drank water from a cooler on Tuesday.

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is a health hazard when ingested via water, food, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Employees are now under observation.

Police are investigating how tritium seeped into the water cooler.




Authorities are trying to play down fears the plant may have had a nuclear accident.

[Prithviraj Chauhan, Indian Science and Technology Minister]:
Not an nuclear accident or even unclear incident. It is nothing to do with the process of making electricity."

The minister blames vengeful staff or an outsider for spiking the drinking water.

[Prithviraj Chauhan, Indian Science and Technology Minister]:
Some disgruntled employee has tried to mix a small vile of heavy water into one particular water coolerHe perhaps deliberately chose drinking water from water cooler because many people access water cooler.

An inquiry has been launched.

[Prithviraj Chauhan, Indian Science and Technology Minister]:
We will get to the bottom of this, inquiries are being made at the highest level and we will find out what actually happened.

Officials at the highly protected plant in Kaiga, 280 miles (450 km) from Bangalore, will examine whether the leak was deliberate.

The investigation continues.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• NTD
• NTDTV
• India
• Water contamination
• Nuclear
• Pollution
• Drinking water
• Kaiga Atomic Power Plant
• Karnataka
• Investigation
• Tritium
• Nuclear accident
• Bangalore