Fukushima plant situation 'volatile,' a year after cold shutdown declared

(there is a good graph on the linked page but it needs to be enlarged to view well.)

Workers are nowhere close to determining the state of melted fuel at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, a year after the government declared the damaged reactors were in a “cold shutdown” state.

Storage tanks at the site are nearing capacity for radioactive water. A makeshift system is still being used to cool the nuclear fuel. And leaks of contaminated water and quake-induced collapses of plant facilities remain a threat.

Although progress has been made in clearing rubble and reducing the amount of radioactive substances released from the plant, NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka acknowledged that preparations to decommission the reactors are only slowly getting under way.

"Workers have been obliged to respond with highly stopgap measures," Tanaka said. "Many devices, such as a purifier for radioactive water, have been installed with no time for sufficient design considerations and safety screenings.

Much more in article, here:
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201212180087