India nuclear plant leaks!!

[Nemesis]

Some people here need a crash course in science. Do you people know the difference between a nuclear plant and a nuclear bomb?

This is probably the some sicko's idea of getting revenge against his co workers. Don't blow it out of proportion.

 

[Chanakyaa]

I know it sounds kind of demented. But i'll be honest with you, Yes i am.

It proves a point to your prime minister who only a few days ago was getting a bit mouthy about Pakistani nuclear safety.


i think this incident was a nice slap in the face. Timing couldnt have been better.



it's wrong.....but in this case, it is too convenient and symbollic to ignore. I'm being honest!



if i came to know about it, i wouldn't be amused!

I think india should be more careful about the people they hire to work in their nuclear facilities. This is most alarming for the people of Pakistan.

We will be happy to send consultants and provide advice to indians on how to effectively safe guard its nuclear installations

Will it be a National Mourning or a "Slap in the face" had the Terrorists in Pakistan Bombed some Important Installation ?

More over .. If u r Honest.. be Honest with This.

If Your Father is Killed in such an accident will u accept - its was Good and a Slap on You/Your Country ?

The Person who did it was going to do a Massacare. and You say It was Good ?

How can One say that Just to Make a PM's Statement false 50 Lives and 50 Families can be Made "Gone" Forever ?
Even Bin Laden can have a statement according to which 9/11 was Right to do .. Can we really do so.. can we be Inhuman to accept it ?

If u r really Honest - will u accept This, had u been a victim ?

Human Life is Far Far above Diplomacy and Statements.
Statements can be changed - Human Live CANNOT

 

[Spring Onion]

Kaiga nuclear plant has been having problems since its start

safety measures in Indian nuclear plants have been subjected to doubts


Controversial Kaiga N-plant heads for completion
Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

The Indian nuclear weapons project may be looking good, but the Kaiga nuclear power project in Karnataka is still to redeem itself.


For, in May 1994, the dome of the first reactor quietly collapsed during construction. Things have changed now and the second reactor will be completed by next April with power generation slated to begin by October.


According to V K Sharma, project director, the current sanctions by the US will affect the nuclear programme indirectly, affecting the purchase of some specialised material -- like the steel used, some electronic items, valve actuators, positioners, software etc needed for the project.

"But India will invent its own material used for nuclear power generation if the western countries stop imports under the guise of sanctions," he said.

It was actually sanctions by Canada that helped India independently construct the reactors in the Uttar Kannada forests. Although based on Canadian technology, the design and software used is fully indigenous now, he said.

Assuring an accident-free and non-hazardous nuclear power project, Sharma says the quality of construction at Kaiga project has even impressed foreign experts who recently visited the project.

There was shock when the inner part of the dome of the first reactor had collapsed four years ago during construction. After a probe by the Nuclear Power Corporation and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, the design and construction of the domes were changed.

Sharma pointed out how the thickness of the domes had been increased from 344 mm to 470 mm, the quality of concrete raised from M 45 to M 60 grade, the tube diameter of the prestressed cables narrowed and how radial reinforcement has been introduced. "We have also taken the best possible safety measures to avoid radiation," he claimed.

The dome, costing roughly Rs 500,000, was cut upon and replaced at a cost of Rs 140 million. The two reactors, of 220 MW output each, will cost the NPC about Rs 22.75 billion. Power from the station will cost Rs 3.50 per unit.

Though the collapsed dome is nearing completion, it will be commissioned only after getting clearance from the regulatory authority.

The NPC also plans to build four more reactors of the same capacity in future. Only 53 hectares of the total 120 hectares of acquired land is being used now.

Though Sharma dismisses the possibility of any accident, the NPC has drawn up a contingency plan to evacuate the population with a 16-km radius in case of any mishap.

Rediff On The NeT: Controversial Kaiga N-plant heads for completion

 

[Spring Onion]

Friday, October 8, 1999

Kaiga in the eye of the calm
SHIV KUMAR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will news of an accident at the Kaiga atomic power plant reach local citizens in time for them to react? Will they be swiftly evacuated like the people of Tokaimura? No, insist the opponents of the project, who have been at it ever since the power plant was planned in 1987.

But officialdom is smug in its conviction that the Japanese scenario will not be repeated in India. And the defence establishment, which controls the nuclear power plants in the country, has managed to keep a tight lid on information about the condition of the nuclear plants in the country, adding to the uncertainty.


Unfortunately for the people living in and around Kaiga, the decade-old movement against the atomic power project was long-dead when the plant went critical in September. The environmentalists who took on the might of the Indian nuclear establishment had moved on to greener pastures. The local community had already made its peace with the project as its youth lined up before the Nuclear Power Corporation for jobs. Last week,when a handful of opponents did finally manage to come together, demonstrations were held at Sirsi, 30 km from the project site.

"There is still opposition to the project, but it is quite passive now," says Nagesh Hegde of the Environment Protection Committee and one of the earliest opponents of Kaiga, from Bangalore. Activists in the vicinity of the plant are still meeting with experts to extract as much information as possible on the safety issue. "What sort of evacuation system have they put in place in case of a mishap?" demands Hegde. The district authorities who have been entrusted with evacuating the locals are not easily accessible by telephone, he charges.

The activists are also demanding that the Nuclear Power Corporation, which owns the plant, must monitor the health of the people more vigorously. "Can the locals afford the minimum nutrition needed to withstand even small doses of radiation?" asks Hegde.

But officials of the Kaiga project are quick to dispel the fears of the opponents of thenuclear plant. "This area is sparsely populated, just eight persons per square kilometre," says M.V. Rao, Additional Chief Engineer (Planning), Kaiga Project. According to him, the construction plan of the plant has several safety features built in. The fuel pellet retains the fission products within its matrix, which is the first barrier to the spread of radioactivity. It is surrounded by cladding, which is the next barrier.

Should this fail, a primary heat transport system acts as the third barrier. Outside this are the primary and secondary containment systems. Moreover, a 5 km radius around the plant has been declared a sterilised zone, in which no industries will be permitted.

The safety mechanisms at Kaiga can shut down a nuclear reaction within two seconds, says Rao. The plant is stocked with coolant systems which will hold out for a period of seven days in the event of an emergency. "This is sufficient to evacuate nearby areas," he said. The project's engineers have been charting even windmovements in the area for years, and the evacuation of the nearby population nearby can be planned adequately, says Rao.

Besides, the power plant is set in a sort of basin surrounded byhills, which should contain the spread of radioactivity.

Though theroadshows and exhibitions conducted by the Nuclear Power Corporation have helped win over the local population, a committed section of the environmentalists' lobby refuses to be coopted. Claude Alvares of the Goa Foundation, who has been highlighting the risk to Goa, located just 155 km from Kaiga, is skeptical about the scientists' claims. "Only when a nuclear power plant is finally shut down can we say that it is safe," he says. According to Rao, `limited plant emergencies', in which radiation spreads within a localised area around the plant, are the first indication of danger. In such a situation the affected area of the plant is shut down and sanitised. After necessary repairs, operations are resumed. However, the Indian nuclear establishment isreluctant to part with data on risk perception. "It is purely an internal matter... the scientists who are employed in nuclear plants take calculated risks," says Rao.

This reluctance owes partly to the fact that India's nuclear power programme is inextricably linked with the defence sector. "The generation of power is only incidental," charges Alvares. Contrary to the popular perception, power produced by the Kaiga plant is not cheap. Rao says that one unit of electricity from the plant costs around Rs 3, mainly because of the cost of infrastructure. The first two phases of the Kaiga plant, built at a cost of nearly Rs 2,000 crore, are expected to generate 440 MW of power. The project was originally conceived to generate 2,000 MW of power. Though the campaign against Kaiga has lost momentum over the years, the worm of suspicion is still in place. And it is feeding off the reluctance of the nuclear establishment to part with information which would help people make up their minds.

Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.

Kaiga in the eye of the calm

 

[Xeric]

Xeric you are comparing a heavy water leak to the safety of the nuke bombs..A think tank like you should know the difference between these two and also who controls a nuclear bombs and a civilian nuclear facility..Is it your ignorance or a deliberate attempt to hide facts to make a cheap shot against India??

i think i wrote english.

 

[Chanakyaa]

Kaiga nuclear plant has been having problems since its start

safety measures in Indian nuclear plants have been subjected to doubts


Controversial Kaiga N-plant heads for completion
Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

The Indian nuclear weapons project may be looking good, but the Kaiga nuclear power project in Karnataka is still to redeem itself.


For, in May 1994, the dome of the first reactor quietly collapsed during construction. Things have changed now and the second reactor will be completed by next April with power generation slated to begin by October.


According to V K Sharma, project director, the current sanctions by the US will affect the nuclear programme indirectly, affecting the purchase of some specialised material -- like the steel used, some electronic items, valve actuators, positioners, software etc needed for the project.

"But India will invent its own material used for nuclear power generation if the western countries stop imports under the guise of sanctions," he said.

It was actually sanctions by Canada that helped India independently construct the reactors in the Uttar Kannada forests. Although based on Canadian technology, the design and software used is fully indigenous now, he said.

Assuring an accident-free and non-hazardous nuclear power project, Sharma says the quality of construction at Kaiga project has even impressed foreign experts who recently visited the project.

There was shock when the inner part of the dome of the first reactor had collapsed four years ago during construction. After a probe by the Nuclear Power Corporation and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, the design and construction of the domes were changed.

Sharma pointed out how the thickness of the domes had been increased from 344 mm to 470 mm, the quality of concrete raised from M 45 to M 60 grade, the tube diameter of the prestressed cables narrowed and how radial reinforcement has been introduced. "We have also taken the best possible safety measures to avoid radiation," he claimed.

The dome, costing roughly Rs 500,000, was cut upon and replaced at a cost of Rs 140 million. The two reactors, of 220 MW output each, will cost the NPC about Rs 22.75 billion. Power from the station will cost Rs 3.50 per unit.

Though the collapsed dome is nearing completion, it will be commissioned only after getting clearance from the regulatory authority.

The NPC also plans to build four more reactors of the same capacity in future. Only 53 hectares of the total 120 hectares of acquired land is being used now.

Though Sharma dismisses the possibility of any accident, the NPC has drawn up a contingency plan to evacuate the population with a 16-km radius in case of any mishap.

Rediff On The NeT: Controversial Kaiga N-plant heads for completion

India is In Nuclear Arena since 1955.
But The one You Mentioned above is like a normal iisue of Constructional fault - Concrete Strength.

During the same Time span we Saw Chernobyl, we saw Three Mile Island .. we even saw worst cases of Nuclear Proliferation - Dr. Khan .

Where is India on The List.

Check This To Verify : List of civilian nuclear accidents - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Xeric]

My concern is not regarding the DELIBERATE or the ACCIDENT, i am more concern about the fact that how can someone just fiddled with the cooler and nobody even noticed?!

No CC Cams, no check on what people are taking in or out of the area? how could one get hold of tritium and walked freely and then was also able to add that in the water supply, i mean somebody, rather everybody was sleeping.

Had it been a college/university lab it might have been understood, but that's not the case, moreover when we have so much sensitivity over the nuclear issue all over the world!

 

[XYON]

Perfect example of Indian low standards of quality, construction and general up-keep!

It was the chemical plant fiasco in the 80's killing thousands and now the nuke plant fiasco will kill additional poor Indian saps living in shanty enclosures nearby the crapy plant.

 

[Iggy]

i think i wrote english.

yes xeric you wrote in perfect english but by adding this "Pakistan's Nukes are not safe...?? " you made a pathetic attempt to twist the facts..

 

[Chanakyaa]

Perfect example of Indian low standards of quality, construction and general up-keep!

It was the chemical plant fiasco in the 80's killing thousands and now the nuke plant fiasco will kill additional poor Indian saps living in shanty enclosures nearby the crapy plant.

Kindly Check My Post Above to have a better Picture.

 

[pkd]

Kaiga nuclear leak ‘insider job’: Govt

Kestur Vasuki/PNS | Bangalore/Mumbai

‘Disgruntled staff put radioactive material in water cooler’

The contamination of drinking water at Kaiga nuclear power plant in Uttara Kannada district was an act of sabotage carried out by some disgruntled employee, the Atomic Energy Commission and Union Government have claimed.

The shocking incident has, however, raised questions on the level of security at one of the most important nuclear plants in India. This has also sent shock waves in and around the river Kali in the eco-sensitive Western Ghats which houses one of the most pristine flora and fauna in the world.

The Union Government, AEC, and officials of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCL) have tried to sell the ‘insider’ theory even before any probe even as speculation of involvement of anti-national elements was also being debated in intelligence circles.

About 45 to 50 employees, working in the first maintenance unit of the Kaiga plant in Uttara Kannada, were treated at the plant hospital in Mallapur for increased level of tritium after they drank water from a cooler in the operating area on November 24, official sources said.

Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar said somebody “deliberately” put radioactive tritium in a water cooler at the nuclear power plant that exposed about 50 workers to increased level of radiation. People involved in the incident will be punished under the Atomic Energy and other Acts after investigation, he said. Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, is used in research, fusion reactors and neutron generators.

Maintaining that there was no release of radioactivity in and outside the Kaiga Atomic Power Plant, the NPCL said it is only a drinking water cooler that was contaminated, which is behind its workers suffering minor radiation exposure.

“Preliminary inquiry does not reveal any violation of operating procedures or radioactivity releases or security breach. It is possibly an act of mischief. The related agencies are investigating,” NPCL Chairman and Managing Director SK Jain said in a statement here.

“All plant systems are working normally and cannot cause any contamination. The source of radiation contamination was identified to be a water cooler located outside the reactor building and has been isolated and put out of service,” he said.

There are a number of measures for routine monitoring of radiation uptake in workers in a nuclear power plant, including routine urine sampling. Any contamination caused by heavy water in the human body is quickly flushed out through natural biological processes like urination and perspiration.

“In this process, some samples indicated signs of contamination. Resulting out of this observation on November 24, samples of all the workers were analysed,” Jain said.

Taking the Kaiga plant incident “very seriously”, the Government said that an inquiry into the “malevolent act” is already in progress and answers will be found soon.

“There is some incident of a disgruntled employee who tried to put some heavy water into one of the water coolers at Kaiga. People who drank water from that cooler, were exposed to some level of contamination. It is being investigated. It is a malevolent act,” Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan said.

Brushing aside reports questioning the safety of Indian nuclear power plants, Chavan said it was not a nuclear leakage accident, not even a nuclear incident, and not even question of anything going wrong in the process of the nuclear power plant. “ There is no need to panic. We will find answers soon. I am told by the people inside that it is not a very serious contamination and the system will be cleared in a couple of days or two. But whatever has happened, has to be taken very seriously. We are of course, worried about the safety of the individuals”.

Meanwhile, admitting that the radioactive isotope of hydrogen (tritium) had contaminated the isolated water cooler, Kaiga plant Director JP Gupta said that a thorough survey of the plant areas did not indicate any heavy water leak from the reactor systems.

Talking to The Pioneer, he said, “The water cooler, which was contaminated by a radioactive element was isolated and put out of use since November 25. The incidence has, however, not affected public safety, health and environment.”

“Some of the radiation workers were found affected by the contaminated water in the cooler while doing their routine bioassay. As a precautionary measure, the affected persons were checked and advised to consult doctors before resuming their duties,” Gupta added.

The NPCL, which operates the Kaiga unit, is investigating the mishap to ascertain how the water cooler got contaminated.

Uttara Kannada District in-charge Minister Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri allayed fears of radiation leak affecting the people and the surrounding areas. “There have been no reports of anyone being affected by the radiation incident. It is an isolated case in the unit and precautionary measures have been taken to prevent any damage to the people or nearby areas,” Kageri said.

According to sources, the 220-MW unit-1 was shutdown on October 20 for biennial maintenance works, while the second and third units of same capacity are operating normally.

According to nuclear scientists, Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen, used in research, fusion reactors and neutron generators. It is widely used in nuclear weapons for boosting the fission primary of a thermonuclear weapon (it can be similarly used for a standalone fission bomb) as well as in the external neutron initiator.

B Bhattacharjee, Member, National Disaster Management Authority, said, “The cooler is supposed to be sealed and it was found to be sealed. But later on, the investigators found that through the drainage, the overflow line of the cooler, that it seems some mischief monger inserted some tritiated water and contaminated the whole cooler. And people have consumed that (water),” he said, noting that “everything is normal. There is nothing serious.”

Bhattacharjee said, “As soon as it was detected, they did a routine sampling. They gave some diuretics to all. Out of 55, 53 have been cleared.”

Kakodkar said, normally, it is a practice to test small amounts of tritiated heavy water for chemical parameters from different locations of the reactors. The AEC Chairman said the heavy water in all the pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR) routinely goes for assessment of chemical parameters and during that process small samples are taken from different locations of the reactor to carry out analysis.

“It is a regular practice and while doing that the tritiated heavy water is carried in small vials to chemical labs within the premises to carry out analysis, and all these vials are sent back to the reactor when the analysis is over”, he said.

Kakodkar also said, “We also check all the radiation workers with termoluminiscent dosimetry (TMD). So, we know the inventory and in the process of monitoring the dosimetry we found that some workers had tritiated water content in their body. They are being treated and are normal now. Surely it is an overdose for some people and investigations are on,” he said.

Playing with fire


The incident has raised questions over the level of security at one of the most important nuclear plants in India


This has also sent shock waves in and around the river Kali in the eco-sensitive Western Ghats which houses one of the most pristine flora and fauna in the world


About 45 to 50 employees were treated at the plant hospital in Mallapur for increased level of tritium


Preliminary inquiry does not reveal any violation of operating procedures or radioactivity releases or security breach. It is possibly an act of mischief, says NPCL CMD SK Jain


The Pioneer > Online Edition : >> Kaiga nuclear leak ?insider job? Govt

 

[Xeric]

Try shaving with Occam's Razor.

However I doff my hat to your ingenious equation:

Nuclear Power Plant = Nuclear Warhead.

Accept my salute too over your brilliance where you implied otherwise!

We thought that even nuclear power pants were kept under strict watch because of the obvious reasons, but never knew that it was the other way round in india.

i mean seriously, it tells me that today's bank are more securer than your POWER PLANTS!!

Working in a toxic environment and someone picks up some tritium and pops it inside the water supply, how standardized would that be?

What SOPs are you exactly following at your high security complexes?

Now if you cant handle this BS in your power plants, it very clearly indicates that not much care would have been employed in your nuclear plants too, and that's a very logical and straight forward question.

It have exactly "ingeniously equated" the two, as your PM (or some other thick head) equates a suicide bomb attack on a PAF base with our nuclear facilities!! And shows his 'concerns' over our safety procedures while sitting in Delhi when he dont even know hat happened in Assam!

 

[Xeric]

yes xeric you wrote in perfect english but by adding this "Pakistan's Nukes are not safe...?? " you made a pathetic attempt to twist the facts..

Try reading post # 72, it might sooth you!

 

[Spring Onion]

India is In Nuclear Arena since 1955.
But The one You Mentioned above is like a normal iisue of Constructional fault - Concrete Strength.

During the same Time span we Saw Chernobyl, we saw Three Mile Island .. we even saw worst cases of Nuclear Proliferation - Dr. Khan .

Where is India on The List.

Check This To Verify : List of civilian nuclear accidents - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

INDIA’S NUCLEAR SAFETY

, India's desire is fraught with severe hazards. India's past record of nuclear-security is dismal.

Christopher Pine, a nuclear expert at the Natural Resources Council in Washington, stated that Indian power plants have the lowest capacity factor in the world and one of the poorest safety records. A UN report, published in 1993, confirmed Pine's fears.


The report stated that occupational-exposure hazards in India, calculated in proportion to the amount of electricity generated, were six to eight times more than the world average.


A subsequent report of Indian Parliamentary corroborated that there has been 147 mishaps or safety related incidents, including 28 of acute nature.

Dr A. Gopalakrishnan, former Chairman of India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, willy-nilly admitted in his report to the Atomic Energy Agency in 1996, following observations: (a) Indian nuclear facilities have had 130 instances of safety related concerns including 95 that require urgent action. (b) India is likely to face serious nuclear accident in the not too distant future. (c) The degree of automation and cross checks on safety in old nuclear power plants is very minimal.


The poor safety standards in nuclear plants have been a subject of litigation also. However, even India's supreme court (on 6 January 2004) wilted under government' s pressure and rejected a public-interest petition seeking disclosure of contents of Atomic Energy Regulation Board report. disallowed opening the lid from the Pandora box of lapses. The basic contention of the petition was that nuclear installations and atomic power stations across the country were endangering the lives of people living in the vicinity.

Dr A Gopalakrishnan, former Chairman of India's AERB was also a petitioner. He had contended that serious nuclear accidents could take place at Narora Nuclear Power Plant, Uttar Pradesh and Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant, Karnataka. The Supreme Court ruled that Government had every right to maintain secrecy about nuclear installations and deny public information about these in the interest of national security.


It would be pertinent to quote a few failures of nuclear safety. The Cirus reactor at Trombay, capable of producing 14 kg weapon-grade plutonium, developed a radiation leak in 1991. As a result, soil water and vegetation in the vicinity was contaminated. Dhruva, a reactor at Trombay, capable of producing 30 kg weapon grade plutonium, suffered from design problems that caused fuel failures. Mumbai port became radioactive because of nuclear effluents discharged by plutonium -reprocessing facilities.

The Fast Breeder Test Reactor of 40 MW at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, built with French assistance, was rated `not safe', and discarded. Similar reactors, like Super Phoenix of France and Monju of Japan, were also discarded because of safety hazards. Twenty-six workers were injured because of radiation leakage on 14 Mar 1980. Subsequently, a high dosage (740 times higher than the normal level) of iodine was found in seawater around this plant in 1989.

The radioactive waste from the plant contaminated the water supply of nearly 3000 villagers living nearby. Rajasthan Atomic Power Plants, Rawatbhata (Kota) were shut down several times during 1980 to 1994 due to cracks in its coolant channels, or water leakage. Madras Atomic Power Plants, Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu) suffered numerous shutdowns because of radiation leakages, injurious to workers and marine life.


Let us quote a few more incidents. Since early 1990s, Madras Atomic Power Reactors have suffered frequent breakdown owing to defective flow of uranium. On March 1993, fire broke out in the Narora Atomic Power Plant. On 25 April 2003, heavy water leaked from one of the coolant channels. The resulting radiation affected the environment. The radiation leakages from tritium- contaminated heavy water from coolant channels of Kakrapar Atomic Power Station have affected not only the workers but also the population in vicinity. A power reactors experienced a near disastrous fire accident in 1991. The design of Kaiga Atomic Power Plants proved to be defective. Containment dome of a unit collapsed in 1994, 24 hours prior to commissioning of the plant.


In view of poor nuclear safety-standards in India, India's quest for augmenting its nuclear energy by establishing a sprawling network of nuclear reactors could be hazardous for the people and the environment. The performance of the existing reactors amply reflects that several plants suffered from flaws in designs, besides slipshod operation. Being the next-door neigbour, poor nuclear safety in India is a source of concern for it. The world community and the nuclear watchdogs, also, should prevent export of nuclear fuel to India ostensibly for nuclear-power generation.

 

[Spitfighter]

I know it sounds kind of demented. But i'll be honest with you, Yes i am.

It proves a point to your prime minister who only a few days ago was getting a bit mouthy about Pakistani nuclear safety.


i think this incident was a nice slap in the face. Timing couldnt have been better.



it's wrong.....but in this case, it is too convenient and symbollic to ignore. I'm being honest!



if i came to know about it, i wouldn't be amused!

I think india should be more careful about the people they hire to work in their nuclear facilities. This is most alarming for the people of Pakistan.

We will be happy to send consultants and provide advice to indians on how to effectively safe guard its nuclear installations

Let's put things into perspective shall we?

You can be as happy as you please, throw a party have a ball do whatever...but the fact is that regardless of what happened in India, the world will still question the safety of your nukes not ours,the international community will pressure Pakistan and continue to do so until they start seeing some results in Afghanistan.

India and Pakistan are in two very different leagues (double standards )

This isn't the last time MMS will voice his concern over the situation in Pakistan and his concern will be shared by the world.

If you're so happy over such a small incident, imagine how happy I've been over the last couple of years. How's that for symbolism?

Lastly, keep your advisers, many countries in the world are anxious about the situation in Pakistan so right now you need everything you got. We'll manage and if not we call on the the intl' community (US, EU, Russia, Israel, you name it..). So thanks, but no thanks.