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Nuclear Agency requests Automatic Radioactivity Monitoring System for Pedestrians
The Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) said it had asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help equip international ferry terminals in Batam with Automatic Radioactivity Monitoring System for Pedestrians to scan passengers for radioactive substances
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he Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) said it had asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help equip international ferry terminals in Batam with Automatic Radioactivity Monitoring System for Pedestrians to scan passengers for radioactive substances.
Bepeten head, As Natio Lasman, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the proposal was driven by the fear that international passengers entering Batam from Singapore and Malaysia might carry radioactive substances with them following the leak at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan in 2011. Batam has a high level of foreign passenger traffic from the two countries.
'The tool is important to detect passengers who might carry specific amounts of radioactive substances,' As Natio said.
He said that radioactive substances could cling to the clothes and belongings of passengers, therefore, detecting them was critical to maintain the radioactive safety threshold in an area.
Bapeten has installed seven Automatic Radioactivity Monitoring Systems, four of which came through aid, while the other three were bought by Bapeten. Four were installed at cargo ports in Belawan, Semarang, Makassar and Bitung while the other three were installed at ports in Surabaya, Tanjung Priok and Bali.
'The Automatic Radioactivity Monitoring System for Pedestrians will be the first one to be installed in Batam [in Indonesia] because they systems we have installed so far were only for cargo, and are connected to the central office in Jakarta. We hope the plan will be materialized soon,' As Natio said.
Bapeten licensing unit deputy chief Martua Sinaga said that neighboring countries already had Automatic Radioactivity Monitoring System for Pedestrians. Martua said that Singapore had 64 units installed in a number of important places.
'An Automatic Radioactivity Monitoring System for Pedestrians is very expensive, therefore, we asked IAEA for help. If we could afford it, we would have bought it ourselves,' Martua said without disclosing the exact price.
According to data from the Batam Tourism and Culture Agency, the number of international tourists entering Batam reached 1,161,584 and 1,219,608 in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Most of them were from Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, the Philippines, India and China. Meanwhile, many Japanese nationals work as CEOs in electronic companies in Batam. (hrl)
