Radiation near the damaged No.1 reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan has seen a steady decline following water-dousing measures taken Thursday, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Friday.
According to reports, hourly radiation dose stood at 279.4 microsievert at 5 a.m. Friday, down from 309 microsievert at the beginning of the crisis and 292 microsievert around the time when army helicopters poured tonnes of water Thursday to cool down the reactor’s overheating spent fuel storage pool.
Officials said they will work to restore electricity at the No.1 and No.2 reactors Friday, and at the No.3 and No.4 reactors Sunday, Xinhua reported.
The storage pools at the power plant lost their cooling function after the devastating quake and tsunami hit Japan March 11.
On Thursday, giant helicopters of the army dumped water on the damaged No.3 reactor, followed by fire trucks equipped with high-pressure water canons shooting around 30 tonnes of water at the reactor later in the day.
The Fukushima plant was damaged in the earthquake and tsunami. There were explosions at three reactors while a fire engulfed a fourth reactor.