Grease at Every Crease

Normally buildings will fall in  the state of Maharashtra. We have seen such accidents quite often in Mumbai Thane and so on. But now in Chennai. Though smaller incidents took place this is a major one as the building involved is a 11 storey building.  If there is a race among the countries for selecting people who are fastest in 'money making' hope  we can be the winners. The love for money is the most intense now among we the Indians. The result is grease at every crease. 

Repeated efforts by cine people like  Director Shankar to eliminate graft was enjoyed by both the bribe givers and takers. Tamilnadu produces around 1,70,000  engineers every year with around 570 colleges.  Long live India! 

Chennai Building Collapse: Woman Rescued After 39 Hours, 18 Dead

Chennai:  A 35-year-old woman was among two people rescued alive from debris this morning, 39 hours after a multi-storey building under construction in Chennai collapsed during heavy rain on Saturday, killing at least 18 people. About 40 people are still feared trapped.

HERE ARE THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

1. A senior cop told NDTV, "Clearing the debris is a huge challenge. This would take almost two to three days and we hope to save many lives." Rescuers could hear feeble voices in the debris, said TS Sridhar, commissioner of the disaster management agency, the NDRF.
2. On Sunday evening, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said there were 72 construction workers in the building when it collapsed. 22 people have been rescued so far and the bodies of 18 people have been recovered. (Tragedy Could Worsen as Jayalalithaa Says More Feared Trapped)
3. The woman rescued this morning, Neenamaal from Andhra Pradesh, has been taken to hospital. So far, 18 people have been injured in the collapse. The construction workers in the building when it collapsed were mostly from Andhra Pradesh and northern states. Many were in the building to collect their wages.
4. Police have arrested five people including the promoters and engineers of the building and has charged them with alleged irregularities and compromising on quality and safety.
5. Ms Jayalalithaa, who visited the site yesterday, said, "It appears they have not adhered to approved plans. The building appears to have serious structural defects". 

Source:ndtv.com

Crude will be always crude: Gas will be always crass

I'm a lay man. I don't have knowledge of big issues. But if some one asks me to award the most creative  Indian brain of the century I'd award the brain which proposed a gas pipe line between India and Iran via Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Even with in India the highest paid public sector undertaking  ONGC is unable to maintain or safeguard its pipelines and the lives along them. But are we in a  position to bring gas via the ever burning Pak and Af-gun nations? How much money was spent on this pipeline project?  Even today hundreds of kilometres of pipe lines are laid. Good. They are crude pipe-line  bombs if left unattended or poorly maintained.   Hope the OIL authorities would learn some from these repeated accidents occurring all over the world.

14 killed, 15 injured in gas pipeline blast in Andhra Pradesh

KAKINADA: In a major blast in a gas pipeline 14 people were burned alive and 15 others received severe burns at Nagaram village of Mamidikuduru mandal of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh on Friday morning.

Villagers woke up to deafening noise and huge flames after the pipeline belonging to Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) suddenly caught fire near an ONGC connecting station. Villagers allege negligence on the part of officials as the pipeline developed rust and authorities failed to replace it.

A pall of gloom descended on Mamidikuduru mandal with people running in panic and wailing for help as huge flames engulfed an entire village trapping about 30 people, and burning hundreds of tall coconut trees and reducing about 50 houses and shops to ashes. Many birds and domestic animals were feared burnt in the mishap as flames rose to as high as 250 metres, villagers told media.

Pressure Islands

The hunt for gold by man is ancient. The term, 'treasure islands', makes all of us dream of landing in such isles. The 'nuclear waste' we dispose of in haste will hasten the death of millions of our future generations of flora and fauna. The boards that announce the dangers of these nuclear disposal sites won't last long. These islands will hide no treasure but will become pressure islands offering no pleasure  to the leisure seekers of tomorrow. 

Overview of Disposal Options

The diversity of radioactive waste to be dealt with, as well as the range of disposal facility designs and environmental settings available, has resulted in the development of several alternative disposal concepts. Many concepts have been put into practice and radioactive waste disposal has been safely practiced around the world since the middle of the last century.

Consequently, a large number of waste disposal facilities have been constructed and are being operated today for all waste categories; the only exception relates to the completion and operation of disposal facilities for high level waste and spent nuclear fuel (when declared as waste). However, the viability of disposing of this type of waste in deep geological formations has been provided through many years of research and demonstration, including experiments carried out in dedicated underground research laboratories.

The selection of the design and number of disposal facilities required in a country depends on many aspects, such as:

• National waste and spent fuel management policy and strategy;
• Waste inventories;
• plans for nuclear energy exploitation; and
• Extent of the national nuclear programme.

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The currently applied disposal options are indicated with respect to the 2009 IAEA waste classification system as follows:

• Very short lived waste is stored for decay and then cleared for disposal as non-radioactive waste.
• 
  
• Very low level waste can be directed into surface trenches utilising a limited engineered barrier system. Such facilities have been built in Sweden (at each nuclear power plant), France and Spain (see the Fig. 1). In many other countries this waste is disposed of together with low level waste.
• 
  
• Fig. 1: Very low level waste disposal facility Morvilliers, France
  (Photo credit: ANDRA)
• 
  
• Low level waste is typically put into near surface engineered facilities, such as those operating in France, Spain, Czech Republic and Slovakia (Fig. 2).
• 
  
• Fig. 2: El-Cabril disposal facility, Spain. (Photo credit: ENRESA)
• 
  In arid areas like South Africa, USA and Iran (Fig. 3) the low level waste is disposed of in open trenches with limited or no isolation layers, as the capping of trenches prevents water ingress into the disposal spaces and the natural environment is suitable for such disposal.
• 
  
• Fig. 3: Vaalputs disposal facility for low level waste, South Africa.
  (Photo credit: NECSA)
• 
  Some countries, such as Sweden, Finland, Norway, Czech Republic, Hungary and Korea (Fig. 4), have built or are building subsurface engineered facilities for low level waste, whereas Germany, Switzerland and Canada (Fig. 5) are developing deep geological facilities for this waste category.
• 
  
• Fig. 4: Profile of the Gyeongju disposal facility, Korea.
  (Photo credit: KRMC)
• 
  
• Fig. 5: Scheme of waste emplacement in Konrad repository, Germany. (Photo credit: DBE)
• 
  
• For the disposal of transuranic waste arising from the US defense program, broadly corresponding to intermediate level waste in the new IAEA Waste Classification scheme (2009), the WIPP facility in the USA is an example of an operational deep geological repository(see Fig. 6). It is intended that long-lived intermediate level waste will also be disposed of in deep geological subsurface facilities planned or being constructed in Japan, Germany, UK, Canada and other countries. These include facilities that are primarily designated for high level waste disposal, but with appropriate demonstrations of safety and regulatory permissions, the co-disposal of intermediate level waste may be acceptable as well (Switzerland, France).
• 
  
• Fig. 6: Waste transport to disposal level at WIPP repository, USA.
  (Photo credit: DoE)
• 
  
• High level waste (and spent nuclear fuel) must be disposed of in a deep geologic formation. Intensive research performed in underground laboratories (see Fig. 7) has demonstrated the viability of this approach for salt (Germany, USA), granite (Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, Japan), plastic clay (Belgium) and clay stone (Switzerland, France) host formations. The first repositories are anticipated to become operational in the early twenties (Finland, Sweden and France). Some other countries have initiated siting and investigation programmes (Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia) while others are planning for the geological disposal of high level waste and spent nuclear fuel.
• 
  
• Fig. 7: Inside view of the underground research laboratory HADES, Belgium. (Photo credit: SCK-CEN)
• 
  
• Disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRS) exist in practically all Member States. DSRS may exhibit high levels of activity even after they are no longer in use. After their productive lifetime they are stored and, in some cases, repatriated to the country of origin. However, most DSRS must be managed in the country where they were used. For Member States where financial or human resources are limited or where the necessary infrastructure to safely manage DSRS in the long-term is inadequate, a specific design for a borehole disposal facility has been developed by the IAEA as a simple, safe, secure, economic and practical final management solution
• 
  The IAEA concept for Borehole Disposal of DSRS (BOSS) consists of:
  • Source identification;
  • Conditioning for disposal;
  • Storage until a disposal facility is available; and finally
  • Emplacement in a borehole specially situated and constructed for the purpose of disposal.
  Facility siting activities have been initiated in Ghana, Philippines, Malaysia and Iran and several other countries are also considering adopting the concept. Although the borehole disposal concept has been tailored specifically for small waste management programmes dealing only with DSRS, its viability has also been considered for use in larger programmes.
• Source:IAEA
• 
  Fig. 8: Demonstration of borehole disposal concept (BDC).
  (Photo credit: NECSA)

Poison can't be fed selectively for the species selected by us

Pesticides threaten birds and bees alike: study

AFP 

PARIS: Neurotoxic pesticides blamed for the world's bee collapse are also harming butterflies, worms, fish and birds, said a scientific review that called Tuesday for tighter regulation to curb their use. 

Analysing two decades of reports on the topic, an international panel of 29 scientists found there was "clear evidence of harm" from use of two pesticide types, neonicotinoids and fipronil. 

And the evidence was "sufficient to trigger regulatory action". "We are witnessing a threat to the productivity of our natural and farmed environment," said Jean-Marc Bonmatin of France's National Centre for Scientific Research, co-author of the report entitled the Worldwide Integrated Assessment. 

Far from protecting food production, these nerve-targeting insecticides known as neonics were "imperilling the pollinators, habitat engineers and natural pest controllers at the heart of a functioning ecosystem." 

The four-year assessment was carried out by The Task Force on Systemic Pesticides, which advises the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world's watchdog on species loss. 

Neonics are widely used insecticides whose effects can be instant and lethal, or chronic. Exposure can impair smell and memory in some species, curb procreation, reduce foraging, cause flight difficulties and increase disease susceptibility. 

Used for insect pest management in farming, but also in pet flea control, they have been fingered in the recent decline in bees — crucial pollinators of human food crops — in Europe, the Americas and Asia. 

The latest study says these pesticides, absorbed by plants, are also harming other insect pollinators, fish and birds as they leach into soil and water. 

The most affected species were terrestrial invertebrates such as earthworms, which are crucial soil-enrichers, said a press statement. 

Bees and butterflies were next, followed by aquatic invertebrates like freshwater snails and water fleas, then birds, and finally fish, amphibians and certain microbes. 

"The combination of their wide scale use and inherent properties, has resulted in widespread contamination of agricultural soils, freshwater resources, wetlands, non-target vegetation, estuarine and coastal marine systems," the authors wrote. 

"This means that many organisms inhabiting these habitats are being repeatedly and chronically exposed to effective concentrations of these insecticides." 

Neonics can persist in soil for more than 1,000 days, and in woody plants for over a year, and the compounds into which they break down can be more toxic than the original, active ingredients. 

The review, which its authors said will be published in the journal Environment Science and Pollution Research, looked at evidence of neonic damage gathered in 800 reports over the last two decades. 

Last year, scientists said neonicotinoids and another pesticide group, organophosphates, can scramble the brain circuits of honeybees, affecting memory and navigation skills they need to find food, and placing entire hives under threat. 

The EU has since placed a temporary ban on some of these chemicals. Earlier this month, researchers said venom from one of the world's most poisonous creatures, the Australian funnel web spider, could help save the world's honeybees by providing a biopesticide that kills pests but spares the precious pollinators. 

The new study said neonics can be 5,000 to 10,000 times more toxic to bees than DDT, a pesticide that has been banned for agricultural use. 

The report said there was not enough data to determine whether there was an impact on mammals and reptiles, "but in the case of the latter, the researchers concluded that it was probable". 

The authors suggested that regulatory agencies consider "to further tighten regulations on neonicotinoids and fipronil, and consider formulating plans for a substantial reduction of the global scale of use." 

Together, the two classes are the most widely used insecticides with a global market share of about 40 percent, said the authors, and global sales of more than $2.63 billion (1.9 billion euros) in 2011.

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Food is Life

  

Amma Unavagam

Amma Unavagam (meaning "Mother Restaurant" in Tamil) is a food subsidization program run by the Government of Tamil Nadu in India. "Amma" means mother in Tamil but clearly here refers to the incumbent Chief Minister Ms. J. Jayalalithaa, who introduced this restaurant concept aimed at helping the very poor sections of the society. By convention she is seldom mentioned by her name in the party and government circles but is reverentially referred to as "amma."

Under the scheme, municipal corporations of the state run canteens serving subsidized food at low prices.

The scheme requires the Municipal Corporations in the state, with the help of self-help groups, to establish canteens at multiple places in cities and sell subsidized food at very low prices.^[2] The first canteens were opened in several localities of Chennai, and later in other corporations of the state. Three of the ten canteens in Coimbatore are partially solar powered.

The food chains primarily serve South Indian food namely Idli, Sambar Rice, Curd Rice, Pongal, Lemon Rice, Curry leaf Rice and alsoChapathi. The dishes are offered at low prices - 1 for an Idli, 5 for a plate of Sambar Rice and 3 for a plate of Curd Rice, etc.

Food is Knife

Damian Carrington

The world's worst chemical disaster  occurred in Bhopal  30 years ago swallowing around 5000 peoples lives as they were asleep and made millions suffer for their remaining  part of life. We came to know of a chemical called methyl ISO cyanide and its lethal nature. But of course thousands of emotional people seeking  quick solution to their problems take their lives consuming pesticides and insecticides in the rural part of the country . Newspapers say 1,50000 farmers have committed suicides in the state of Maharashtra alone. And almost all of them  choose pesticides to kill themselves. Similar is the story of farmers in many other states. Unable to bear the repeated crop losses and the resultant inability to pay the debts to the money lenders and no system in place to assist them with monetary assistance and  counselling services for the 'stressed' , they choose poison as their companion.

The other side of the story is the pesticides and insecticides are used indiscriminately all over India.  These deadly chemicals never die. They enter the water bodies, rivers,ponds and is found on the vegetables and fruits . There is none to check their use or misuse. The incidence of cancer disease is on the increase. Hope we start utilizing organic fertilizer and pesticides to save the humanity. 

Insecticides put world food supplies at risk, say scientists

Regulations on pesticides have failed to prevent poisoning of almost all habitats, international team of scientists concludes

Farmers use helicopters to spray insecticide and fertilizer on wheat crops in Henan province, China. Photograph: TPG/Getty Images

The world’s most widely used insecticides have contaminated the environment across the planet so pervasively that global food production is at risk, according to a comprehensive scientific assessment of the chemicals’ impacts.

The researchers compare their impact with that reported in Silent Spring, the landmark 1962 book by Rachel Carson that revealed the decimation of birds and insects by the blanket use of DDT and other pesticides and led to the modern environmental movement.

Billions of dollars’ worth of the potent and long-lasting neurotoxins are sold every year but regulations have failed to prevent the poisoning of almost all habitats, the international team of scientists concluded in the most detailed study yet. As a result, they say, creatures essential to global food production – from bees to earthworms – are likely to be suffering grave harm and the chemicals must be phased out.

The new assessment analysed the risks associated with neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides on which farmers spend $2.6bn (£1.53bn) a year. Neonicotinoids are applied routinely rather than in response to pest attacks but the scientists highlight the “striking” lack of evidence that this leads to increased crop yields.

“The evidence is very clear. We are witnessing a threat to the productivity of our natural and farmed environment equivalent to that posed by organophosphates or DDT,” said Jean-Marc Bonmatin, of the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, one of the 29 international researchers who conducted the four-year assessment. “Far from protecting food production, the use of neonicotinoid insecticides is threatening the very infrastructure which enables it.” He said the chemicals imperilled food supplies by harming bees and other pollinators, which fertilise about three-quarters of the world’s crops, and the organisms that create the healthy soils which the world’s food requires in order to grow.

Systemic insecticides. Photograph: /Guim

Professor Dave Goulson, at the University of Sussex, another member of the team, said: “It is astonishing we have learned so little. After Silent Spring revealed the unfortunate side-effects of those chemicals, there was a big backlash. But we seem to have gone back to exactly what we were doing in the 1950s. It is just history repeating itself. The pervasive nature of these chemicals mean they are found everywhere now.

“If all our soils are toxic, that should really worry us, as soil is crucial to food production."

The assessment, published on Tuesday, cites the chemicals as a key factor in the decline of bees, alongside the loss of flower-rich habitats meadows and disease. The insecticides harm bees’ ability to navigateand learn, damage their immune systems and cut colony growth. In worms, which provide a critical role in aerating soil, exposure to the chemicals affects their ability to tunnel.

Dragonflies, which eat mosquitoes, and other creatures that live in water are also suffering, with some studies showing that ditchwater has become so contaminated it could be used directly as a lice-control pesticide.

The report warned that loss of insects may be linked to major declines in the birds that feed on them, though it also notes that eating just a few insecticide-treated seeds would kill birds directly.

One of the last living male dusky seaside sparrows is seen in this 1981 file photo while in captivity at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, Florida. DDT pesticide spraying since the 1940s contributed to the extinction of this species. Photograph: Nathan Benn/Corbis

“Overall, a compelling body of evidence has accumulated that clearly demonstrates that the wide-scale use of these persistent, water-soluble chemicals is having widespread, chronic impacts upon global biodiversity and is likely to be having major negative effects on ecosystem services such as pollination that are vital to food security,” the study concluded.

The report is being published as a special issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research and was funded by a charitable foundation run by the ethical bank Triodos.

The EU, opposed by the British government and the National Farmers Union, has already imposed a temporary three-year moratorium on the use of some neonicotinoids on some crops. This month US presidentBarack Obama ordered an urgent assessment of the impact of neonicotinoids on bees. But the insecticides are used all over the world on crops, as well as flea treatments in cats and dogs and to protect timber from termites.

However, the Crop Protection Association, which represents pesticide manufacturers, criticised the report. Nick von Westenholz, chief executive of the CPA, said: “It is a selective review of existing studies which highlighted worst-case scenarios, largely produced under laboratory conditions. As such, the publication does not represent a robust assessment of the safety of systemic pesticides under realistic conditions of use.”

Von Westenholz added: “Importantly, they have failed or neglected to look at the broad benefits provided by this technology and the fact that by maximising yields from land already under cultivation, more wild spaces are preserved for biodiversity. The crop protection industry takes its responsibility towards pollinators seriously. We recognise the vital role pollinators play in global food production.”

A Bulgarian beekeeper grabs dead bees during a demonstration in Sofia to call for a moratorium on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in April. Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

The new report, called the Worldwide Integrated Assessment on Systemic Pesticides, analysed every peer-reviewed scientific paper on neonicotinoids and another insecticide called fipronil since they were first used in the mid-1990s. These chemicals are different from other pesticides because, instead of being sprayed over crops, they are usually used to treat seeds. This means they are taken up by every part of the growing plant, including roots, leaves, pollen and nectar, providing multiple ways for other creatures to be exposed.

The scientists found that the use of the insecticides shows a “rapid increase” over the past decade and that the slow breakdown of the compounds and their ability to be washed off fields in water has led to “large-scale contamination”. The team states that current rules on use have failed to prevent dangerous levels building up in the environment.

Almost as concerning as what is known about neonicotinoids is what is not known, the researchers said. Most countries have no public data on the quantities or locations of the systemic pesticides being applied. The testing demanded by regulators to date has not determined the long-term effect of sub-lethal doses, nor has it assessed the impact of the combined impact of the cocktail of many pesticides encountered in most fields. The toxicity of neonicotinoids has only been established for very few of the species known to be exposed. For example, just four of the 25,000 known species of bee have been assessed. There is virtually no data on effects on reptiles or mammals.

Atomic Technology

By Muhammad Waqas,

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are continuing to rapidly develop nuclear technology to cut down their reliance on fossil fuels for energy. The UAE became the first regional country to launch a civil nuclear programme in 2008. Since then, the UAE has entered into nuclear cooperation deals with the US, UK and Russia to enhance its expertise in nuclear energy. Over the next 20 years, Saudi Arabia plans to construct 16 nuclear power reactors worth an estimated $80 billion. With the first reactor expected to be on line in 2022, the Kingdom is striving to develop about 17 gigawatt-electric (GWe) of nuclear capacity by 2032. This would account for about 15% of the total energy requirements of the oil-rich nation. Saudi Arabia has also concluded nuclear treaties with France and China for electricity generation, water desalination and applications in other sectors of the economy. Other countries like Jordan and Egypt are negotiating with potential nuclear vendors, while Turkey is all set for the construction of up to four nuclear reactors.
When Qatar signed a memorandum of cooperation with Russia in 2010 on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, it was expected that it would push ahead for greater adoption of atomic technology. Back in 2006, Qatar and the other five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states  declared that they were looking to explore the potential of nuclear energy for power and desalination projects. By 2008, Kahramaa  (the Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation) had entered into discussions with Russia to utilise new Russian floating nuclear power plants. The initiative was part of Qatar’s ambitions to add up to 5,400 MW of nuclear capacity between 2011 and 2036. The floating nuclear plants could be used not only to generate electricity but also to desalinate water. However, Qatar decided to overlook nuclear energy and explore other renewable energy sources based on an in-depth assessment of its needs and policy stance on safe use of nuclear energy.

Qatar’s decision was primarily influenced by the findings of a study to determine the viability of an independent nuclear programme.

Qatar’s decision was primarily influenced by the findings of a study to determine the viability of an independent nuclear programme. The report favoured Qatar’s participation in any possible regional nuclear generation project rather than developing an intensive indigenous programme. Interestingly, two new, recently-conducted studies have declared Qatar’s proposed nuclear power programme economically feasible. Carried out for Kahramaa, the studies concluded that the nuclear programme was cost-effective based on the assumption that oil prices do not drop lower than $55 per barrel. In the current global scenario, such a drastic fall in oil prices is unlikely to occur. However, Qatar has yet to undertake a technical viability study on the proposed nuclear programme.

On the back of strong economic performance, the demand for electricity in Qatar has grown by around 17% in the past two years. Electricity demand is likely to create considerable pressure in the next five years. Qatar will need an additional capacity of 1,269 MW of power by 2016. By 2015, electricity demand is expected to jump to over 9,180 MW. At the same time, a Kahramaa survey reveals that total water demand will exceed 300 million gallons a day by 2015.
Desalination of water remains a highly energy-intensive process in Qatar, accounting for up to 20% of the nation’s electricity requirements. According to Abdulla Majid Al Khulaifi, Head of Conservation Technology in the Conservation and Energy Efficiency Department at Kahramaa, “the demand for water, which is supplied at a subsidised rate across Qatar, is rising. A number of recent studies on water consumption have found that Qatar’s per capita water consumption is the highest in world. As a result, the conservation of electricity and water is the need of the hour.” Enjoying one of the highest solar irradiation rates in the world, Qatar has preferred the use of solar energy over any other renewable energy source to power its desalination plants.

Aspiring nuclear powers in the Middle East, such as Jordan and Turkey, have also been troubled by an increase in public protests and mistrust of the official word.

Another area of concern regarding atomic technology is the need for improving controls and strengthening nuclear security in the Middle East. While most countries approve peaceful use of nuclear technology, they are also wary of the potent threat of nuclear terrorism in the region. Further, adoption of nuclear technology requires the implementation of strict safety standards that may be difficult to adhere to in the Middle East’s infant nuclear industry. According to Samuel Ciszuk, senior energy analyst for the Middle East and North Africa at IHS Global Insight, “Europe and America go a step too far by adding an unnecessary amount of safety levels. All these safety mechanisms added on top reduce the cost efficiency.”  It may also be inconvenient to locate land-based nuclear plants in special safety zones in geographically small countries like Qatar.
The recent pact between Iran and Western nations has once again sparked concerns about the peaceful use of nuclear technology in the Arab region. Salman Shaikh, head of the Brookings Doha Center, believes that “there is genuine desire in this region for making the Middle East a nuclear-free zone. What happens with the Iranians is actually very crucial, and if we’re not careful, we will start to have a proliferation of nuclear activities.” Therefore international agencies need to play a greater role in the implementation of effective nuclear security and safety systems in the region.
Aspiring nuclear powers in the Middle East, such as Jordan and Turkey, have also been troubled by an increase in public protests and mistrust of the official word. The negative public opinion about nuclear energy highlights the failure of Middle Eastern countries to engage all relevant stakeholders in developing an understanding of its benefits. Policymakers have not done enough to allay the fears of the general public, especially in the aftermath of Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011. John Banks, an analyst at the Brookings Institution, asserts that countries pursuing nuclear technology in the region need to “develop a legal and regulatory framework, put in place the human resources capabilities, and allocate sufficient funding to ensure that this sector is operating according to the highest standards”. Although Middle Eastern governments may fully recognise these challenges, great effort is needed to overcome them. They need to articulate long-term development strategies related to some of the most sensitive aspects of their nuclear programmes.
In conclusion, the pursuit of civil nuclear technology by Middle Eastern countries is limited not only by their institutional and human capacity, but also by concerns surrounding the safe use of such technology. Although significant financial resources are at the disposal of these states, their governments face several technical, institutional and strategic issues to run these nuclear programmes in a competent and sustainable manner.

http://www.qatartodayonline.com/the-middle-easts-nuclear-dream-far-from-reality/