Environmental Baseline Studies around Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project

important to record the status of the environment with regard

to its quality and demographic features of the immediate

neighbourhood. In the global scenario, India occupies the prime

position as the initiator of this procedure as far back as the

sixties. This venture is termed as ‘pre-operational environmental

baseline study’. Such surveillance is also mandatory to fulfill

regulatory requirements before commissioning of the plant.

Pre-operational monitoring helps in assessing the impact of the

facility during its operational phase. Hence, a systematic study

is essential to establish the baseline data regarding natural

and fallout (man-made) radioactivity in various environmental

samples before the plant goes into operation. Such surveillance

also includes measuring and monitoring conventional

parameters in respect of air and water quality in the surrounds

of a nuclear facility.