Your editorial about Fukushima ("The 3/11 disasters, five years on”) in the March 11 edition focuses rightly on issues confronting communities affected by the disasters, but one key element you omit to mention is the fundamental challenge of water security and water resilience in this unique post-disaster context.
Efforts to contain the contamination of groundwater run-off into the sea have borne some success. However, the ongoing storage of nearly a million tons of contaminated water at the Fukushima No. 1 site presents policymakers with an unenviable judgment call as to how to manage this increasing problem while fostering confidence among local communities that long-term solutions are in sight.
Water security is a critical foundation on which to build both future human and economic security. Achieving water security in a post-disaster context is a complex challenge. Its success depends on well-considered, long-term government policy premised on robust science.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.