Cameras were invited into the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan to show the progress made since three of its reactors melted down in 2011, due to the effects of a tsunami caused by a magnitude 9 earthquake.

Video from the plant shows much of the damage is still clearly in place, amid the ongoing cleanup effort.

The buildup of contaminated water at the site is still a problem, years after the disaster — and could be a problem for decades to come, according to reports. Giant tanks are used at the site to store the contaminated water.

Reuters reports that melted fuel within the reactors has yet to be cleaned up. Towns surrounding the plant remain closed and empty of residents.

However, a study by scientists from the University of Georgia and Fukushima University, published earlier this month, indicates that animals in areas surrounding the plant are actually thriving.

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Over 90 percent of the plant is said to have so little radioactivity that one needs to only take minimal safety measures when walking through them. Following the destruction in 2011, around 300,000 people were evacuated from areas surrounding the plant.

Around 4,000 workers are participating in the cleanup process, which includes ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing Systems) that are used to filter contaminated water, one of the biggest issues at the site. The facility claims the filtering process has been so successful that the water can be released back into the environment.

Some machinery and debris is still so radiaoactive, however, that it has been left in place in an effort to allow the radiation to decay.

Japan is hosting the Olympics over the summer, which means the cleanup process at Fukushima has been more aggressive in recent months. Some Olympic events will occur just 60km from the plant.

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