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Waterborne threats and sustainability of cities including unusual secondary and tertiary water contamination lessons from Fukushima
Abstract for the published paper by Dr Sally Leivesley, Newrisk Limited UK
Water may become a medium for attacks through chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosives, cyber impacts (CBRNE/cyber terrorism), and psychological operations from terrorists. The objective of this paper is to discuss strategies, policy, practice and technologies that prevent, disrupt, respond, mitigate and assist recovery from waterborne threats.
It is proposed that mitigation of potential waterborne components of CBRNE/cyber terrorism is critical for the sustainability of cities and that the problem can be addressed within a wider definition of waterborne threats to cover conflict, natural hazards and accidents as well as CBRNE/cyber terrorism. Included within the scope of this discussion are radiological ‘dirty bombs’, improvised nuclear devices and conventional conflicts between nations. Psychological operations of terror groups may have significant impacts in attacks on water facilities. Recommendations are made for new forms of fast, near-real time, trusted and unambiguous scientific communications techniques to mitigate unnecessary fear in the population and to limit other harmful effects.
Two case studies are presented to illustrate the importance of the sustainability of cities from waterborne threats. The first case study, of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) accident, shows the capacity of Tokyo to function despite city-wide contamination from Caesium-137 and Iodine-131 – although rural Japan continues to have unresolved challenges to agricultural land sustainability a year after the disaster. The second case study discusses Iran as a country under threat of conflicts which may breach underground and aboveground nuclear facilities, including a nuclear reactor. The potential for a perceived threat to fragile water resources within this region illustrates the importance of scientific communications for real-time public advice (for example on whether any incident requires shelter in-situ or evacuation) and the formulation of twelve hour plans to recover cities’ water access to prevent panic and refugee movements.