Resources will be badly affected by nuclear waste dumped from nuclear reactors.

The disposal of nuclear waste into the sea is a serious threat to ocean wealth, a conference on ocean conservation, organised by the School of Ocean Studies and Technology of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), has observed. The conference was organised here on Monday as part of the World Oceans Day observance.

Speakers at the conference said the oceans were a depository of a variety of resources including fish, energy and minerals. But the resources would be badly affected due to the dumping of nuclear waste expelled from many nuclear reactors, which is a big threat to the very existence of marine life and humankind.

N.R. Menon, chairman of the Nansen Environmental Research Centre India, said other ways should be found for the disposal of waste. “The existing international maritime rules and regulations should be strengthened to curb the problem of waste dumping into the sea," he said.

The conference also proposed that an eco-based approach be adopted for maintaining the sustainability of ocean resources and conserving the marine ecosystem.

J. Letha, Vice Chancellor of the Cochin University of Science and Technology, inaugurated the conference. She said ocean resources should be protected for the existence of humankind. “An integrated approach is needed to find ways to conserve the ocean. Researchers should consider the sociological aspects in their research activities in connection with the oceanic sector,” she added.

B. Madhusoodana Kurup, Vice Chancellor of KUFOS, said human beings were increasingly dependent on the ocean's resources and, hence, sustainable utilisation was essential to conserve the resources. K.V. Thomas, a former scientist at the National Centre for Earth Science Studies, said the rich energy resources in the ocean were yet to be explored. “Eco-friendly technologies should be developed for the utilisation of these resources to meet the country’s present energy deficit”, he said.