The Board of Audit said that the Environment Ministry had not assessed whether temporary storage sites for contaminated soil and other materials from decontamination work at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture were located in areas at risk of being flooded by tsunami or dam collapses.
In some cases, it was found that the storage sites were actually located in areas designated as having the potential for flooding from tsunami. The auditor on Wednesday called for a thorough inspection.
In October 2019, 90 large bags containing contaminated soil were swept away from four temporary storage sites in Fukushima Prefecture after heavy rains caused by Typhoon No. 19. The ministry has been inspecting a total of 573 temporary storage sites in 10 prefectures to see if they are located in flood-prone areas or landslide hazard areas. The ministry is taking measures such as securing sandbags at the storage sites with nets.
The auditor investigated the details of the ministry's inspections and found that a total of 549 temporary storage sites in 10 prefectures, including 170 sites managed by the national government in Fukushima Prefecture, had not been checked to see if they were in areas expected to be flooded in the event of a tsunami or dam collapse.
In addition, all 24 temporary storage sites mainly for debris in the prefecture were checked for tsunami risk due to their proximity to the sea, but were not checked for dam collapse risk.
The auditor examined the locations of 153 temporary sites where contaminated soil was stored as of the end of March 2020, and found that five of them were in tsunami-risk areas and three were in areas with the danger of flooding in the event of dam collapses.
"Since the inspection was conducted in response to Typhoon No. 19, we did not consider tsunami or dam collapses," an official of the ministry said. "From now on, we will check [those risks] using hazard maps."
--Safety measures urged
In response to the findings of the board, Fukushima Prefecture residents affected by the nuclear power plant accident called for the government to take better safety measures.
Near the home of a 71-year-old man in Namie, there are temporary storage sites for decontaminated soil and debris, as well as a temporary incinerator and a place to temporarily store incinerator ash. According to the town, these sites are located within areas at risk of tsunami. The man said, "I hope the national government will take all the necessary safety measures."
Another man, 67, who evacuated to Koriyama from Katsurao, both in the prefecture, plans to return to his home once the evacuation order covering part of his home village is lifted. After decontamination, when he measured the radiation level where he used to live, he found that the level had increased in some areas. "I want the government to take responsibility for returning the area to a safe condition," he said.
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