Japan nuclear fallout: Government to step in to stop radioactive water leaks

Tokyo: Japan’s government says it will step in to tackle contaminated water leaks at the country’s crippled nuclear plant, and is considering funding a multibillion-dollar project to fix the problem. [caption id=“attachment_1017539” align=“aligncenter” width=“380”] File photo of the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant. AP[/caption] Government officials said Wednesday about 300 tons of contaminated water has been leaking into the sea daily since early in the crisis, which was caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. On Tuesday, the operator of the Fukushima plant said some of the water is seeping over or around an underground barrier it created by injecting chemicals into the soil that solidified into a wall. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday the government would intervene to tackle the problem. Government officials said they’re considering funding a multibillion-dollar project to surround the reactor buildings with a wall to block underground water. AP