‘We are ahead of several developing countries’

Pune: Priyanka Jawale (33), a Postdoctoral Fellow at Department of Law at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) is the only Indian researcher who has qualified as a finalist at the ‘International Conference on Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors: Learning from the Past, Enabling the Future’, held by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently. 

Jawale presented a paper on ‘In the Name of Sustainable Development: Socio-Legal Challenges of Nuclear Energy and Spent Fuel Management’ at the conference held between June 24 and 28 in Austria. 

She has been nominated for the International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC 2020) in Sydney, Australia.

“We have two strong nuclear acts, the Civil Liability For Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 and the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. Thus, we are ahead of several developing countries dealing with nuclear power plants,” said Jawale. 

Jawale’s paper talks about sustainability of a nuclear power plant. “There are a few concerns about nuclear sector, which are fear of risk and environmental and health damage. We have a few soft laws that include advisories which are not mandates.” 

“The national and international laws are silent on spent fuel depository management. For example, to pacify the radiance of residues left from Uranium is stored underground for years. This can be more hazardous than plastic. So there should be a regulation for how many years should it be stored underground,” said Jawale.

Jawale suggested an all-inclusive approach towards site selection of the nuclear power plant. 
“Apart from the appropriate land, our population also has to be taken into consideration. The regulatory body should establish a knowledge hub near the plant for the local public about coexistence with a nuclear plant,” she said. 

“Make the local population aware of the mode of conduct during unseen incidents, if at all it takes place. Better risk management policy needs to be communicated with the public. The regulatory body should review whether the operating body is functioning according to the law,” added Jawale. 

Jawale said India has a good safety record in regards to a nuclear plant. “Our power programme did not have any international support. Nobody supplied uranium, nobody shared the technology with us. Under such circumstances, our scientists have developed technologies at par with other countries with such plants,” said Jawale.

Jawale also stated that India needs a space law. “We don’t have space law in our country. Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) is developing so well. The bill has been presented in the Parliament. If we have a legal framework, it will better our experiments and innovations,” she said.

Jawale is currently doing her postdoctoral research work in ‘Outer Space Liability and Use of Nuclear Substances: International and National Law and Policy’ under the mentorship of Durgambini Patel, Professor and Head of SPPU Law Department.