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.
Scott Christian College (Autonomous) Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India