Nuclear Safety and Security

The world has already tasted the vast destruction caused by two atom bombs that were dropped by America on the two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in 1945. Thousands of innocent people lost their lives, several thousands were seriously wounded. The diseases and deformities that developed in human beings who were directly or indirectly affected by the radiation lasted several decades after the dastardly act. Fortunately for humanity, no such ignominy has befallen ever since. But it does not mean that the danger of a nuclear warhead being used by some rogue state is not there. Today, so many countries possess nuclear weapons and the day when a war between countries goes nuclear, the results will be catastrophic.


It is therefore extremely necessary that steps are taken at international level to maintain nuclear safety and security. The Group of 8 (G8) have established a Nuclear Safety and Security Group (NSSG) which will provide technically informed, strategic policy advice on issues that could impact safety and security in peaceful uses of nuclear energy and other issues related thereto. The G8 nations are committed to the nuclear safety first principle, to recognize, internationally accepted norms and best practices in nuclear safety and security. They recognize the international conventions and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards from a good basis for the continuous improvement of national nuclear regulatory systems and nuclear safety as necessary.

Nuclear safety and security involves five major issues: saving the world from nuclear weapons; stopping nuclear proliferation; stopping the terrorist groups from acquiring a nuclear warhead; preventing nuclear explosions in reactors while harnessing nuclear technology for peaceful uses; and properly disposing nuclear waste so that it does not create harmful effects.

Saving the world from the scourge of nuclear war is a herculean task. The United Nations supported by the veto...