Mumbai: A noted American geologist has criticised the construction of a 9,900 Megawatt nuclear power plant in Jaitapur, Maharashtra, warning of a high earthquake risk in the area.
In a paper co-authored with Professor Vinod Gaur of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Professor Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado warned that a magnitude 6 earthquake could hit Jaitapur.
The paper was published in Current Science, a prestigious Indian journal published by the Current Science Association and the Indian Academy of Sciences.
He joins environmentalists, Indian scientists and local farmers in opposing the energy project.
Speaking at a press conference organised by Greenpeace yesterday, Professor Bilham warned that Jaitapur lay in the same compressional stress regime responsible for the magnitude 6.3 Latur quake and magnitude 6.4 Koyna quake in the last 50 years.
He said it could be argued that a similar-sized temblor could strike directly beneath the power plant.
"The probability of this earthquake occurring is low but it is nevertheless possible, and is an important consideration in the design of a safe power plant," Professor Bilham added.
Inadequate data
He said it was not possible to confidently say that an earthquake of a high magnitude would not occur in Jaitapur as one needs to examine reliable data spanning many centuries in order to do so. This is due to the long gaps between earthquakes.
With regards to Jaitapur, the available data that can be relied upon only extends to last the 200 years — a short period in geological history.
The Jaitapur area comes under Ratnagiri district which falls in the seismic Zone 4 (high damage) category with Zone 5 being the highest. The region has witnessed 92 earthquakes within the period from 1985 to 2005.
Professor Bilham said nuclear power plants can be engineered to withstand a high degree of shaking intensity although the expense of the design will increase with the severity and duration of the shaking.
