HONG Kong people have been worried about having a nuclear power plant just across the border in China ever since the plan to construct the Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station was announced. A million people signed their names to a campaign objecting to the construction of the plant.
It is now too late to object to nuclear power. The Daya Bay plant is about to go into operation. Many people are not so much worried about the hardware as about the management and maintenance of the machinery.
It should have occurred to the investors of the plant and the Hong Kong Government, that their most important tasks are to ensure that there is the highest level of management and maintenance, and to ensure that Hong Kong people know about - and feel confident in - the contingency plan in case of an accident.
A year ago, legislators and community groups demanded that the Government release the contingency plan. After some delay, the Government released a pamphlet and a booklet for the general public.
The pamphlet is entitled ''What the Hong Kong Government would do, and what you should do, in the unlikely event of an accident at the Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station''.
While it is useful for members of the public to have some idea about what government departments will do in the event of an accident, the public is most concerned about what sort of action members of the public might be required to take.
At the time of an accident, I could be working in my office; or I could be riding on a bus; or I could be waiting to see my dentist. What should I do then? Should I stay in the office? Should I immediately go home? Should I collect my children who may beat school? Should I shut all the windows? The Government might say that what action I might be advised to take would depend on the type and severity of the accident. Well, yes, but I believe the public would still like to have some idea now, as the plant is about to go into operation, about the types of action they might be expected to take. Knowledge provides comfort.
