Japan started the 11th round of its release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, despite furious opposition from within the country and abroad.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant's operator, said that it plans to discharge around 7,800 tonnes of nuclear-contaminated water from the facility in this round of release.
Japanese experts and residents have said that the Japanese government and TEPCO have failed to guarantee the safety and reliability of the operation, calling the ongoing discharge of nuclear-contaminated water into the ocean an extremely irresponsible action.
Hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
The plant has been generating a massive amount of wastewater tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down the nuclear fuel in the reactor buildings, which are now being stored in tanks at the nuclear plant.
In August 2023, Japan started to discharge the Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, despite repeated objections by governments and communities, environmental groups, non-governmental organizations, and anti-nuclear movements in Japan and the Pacific region.
Japan starts 11th ocean discharge of Fukushima nuclear-tainted wastewater
The Zambian government has declared the current fuel supply situation an emergency amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
On March 31, Zambian Minister of Information and Media Cornelius Mweetwa said in a statement that the cabinet had approved zero-rating of value-added tax and the suspension of excise duty on petrol and diesel imports for a period of three months.
Mweetwa, also the government spokesperson, noted that the government is concerned about the continued conflict in the Middle East, which have disrupted global oil supply chains, resulting in rising international fuel prices and upward pressure on domestic pump prices.
Also on March 31, Zambia's energy regulator announced an upward adjustment in fuel pump prices. Under the new pricing structure, petrol has increased by 2.03 percent, while diesel has risen by 28.09 percent.
Zambian residents have already been feeling the impact. Their ability to travel is curtailed and they are forced to wait in long lines for refueling.
"You have to spend some time on looking for fuel. The war should come to an end, and then fuel supply will flow," said Fredrick Nabuzoka, a local resident.
"My business is down. I cannot move regularly like I used to because of the fuel problem," said Fridah Mbiza, another resident.
Analysts warned that the fuel shortage extends beyond the country, which raises fear and worsens an already precarious energy insecurity.
"The energy insecurity is huge. It's not just for Zambia, it's about 75 percent of other African countries. And for Zambia, the price definitely is also going to swing up, just like other countries. And also, there is another fear, apart from just the price going up. The other fear is the availability factor," said Johnstone Chikwanda, a Zambian energy expert.
The ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and Tehran's retaliatory strikes across the Gulf region have triggered a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas globally because of the reduction of sea traffic through the key oil shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz. The closure of the sea route has sent global oil prices soaring.
Zambia declares fuel supply emergency amid Middle East tensions
