Burning of 14.92 million tonnes (MT) of low grade coal at three power plants, production of massive fly ash and unsafe waste disposal have created pollution at alarming level posing serious health threat to the residents of Jharsuguda district.
According to regional office of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), annual fly ash production from coal-based thermal power plants is around 6.18 MT in the district. Notably, the major thermal plants installed in Jharsuguda district have a total capacity of 4,035 MW power generation.
Sterlite Energy has 2,400 MW, Vedanta Captive Power Plant (CPP) 1,215 MW and Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) 420 MW. Again, the new thermal plants in the pipeline are expected to add an additional 700 MW taking the total power generation to 3,100 MW by 2016 and fly ash production to 10 MT.
The current average fly ash utilisation by three thermal power companies put together is less than 45 per cent. The steps taken by the district administration to tackle the problem are inadequate, sources informed.
Water Initiative Odisha (WIO) convenor Ranjan Panda said fly ash commonly contains some toxic metals, lead, arsenic and mercury that cause a host of ailments including cancer and neurologic damage in human beings. The ash pond settles at the river bed of Bheden and Hirakud Dam reservoir but poisonous substance are carried downstream. Thus fly ash pollutes the Bheden river and the Hirakud reservoir in addition to polluting the environment, said Panda, calling for immediate action.
Every thermal power plant as per the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests guideline is required to achieve 100 per cent utilization within five years of its operation. But the norm has been thrown to the wind very conveniently, he added.