MPCB tells Khaparkheda power plant to stop dumping of toxic fly ash in Nandgaon village

For several months, locals from Nandgaon have been protesting against the unauthorised dumping of fly ash in their village, to the detriment of the groundwater and their farmlands

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) on Thursday issued a notice to the Khaperkheda Thermal Power Station (KTPS) in Nagpur district to immediately stop dumping fly ash slurry into the Nandgaon ash pond, some 40kms away. The move comes nearly a month after state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray met with researchers tracking the impact of fly ash (a toxic by-product of coal combustion) pollution in the region, and ordered action to control pollution around the Koradi and Khaparkheda power plants.

Aaditya Thackeray, cabinet minister for environment, highlighted that he has personally been receiving several complaints from this region (File)

For several months, locals from Nandgaon have been protesting against the unauthorised dumping of fly ash in their village, to the detriment of the groundwater and their farmlands. This was highlighted in a November 2021 report -- Polluted Power: How Koradi and Khaperkheda Thermal Power Stations are Impacting the Environment -- by researchers at the Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD) in Nagpur, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra in Pune and advocacy group Asar. Its findings were presented to Thackeray on January 6. Keeping in mind the significant impact of coal-pollution on the lives and health of communities, the research groups requested the state government to hold off on installing the proposed new thermal power units at Koradi, and the operation of a new ash pond at Nandgaon.

Aaditya Thackeray, cabinet minister for environment, highlighted that he has personally been receiving several complaints from this region. “The safety and security of citizens of Maharashtra is our primary concern and if any amount of pollution is impacting them, we will ensure abatement at the earliest,” he said. Representatives of the minister also added that Thackeray is slated to make a visit to the area soon to see first-hand the impacts of fly ash pollution on local communities.

As per the ‘Direction Notice’ issued Thursday by the MPCB’s regional officer (Nagpur) to the chief engineer, KTPS, the MPCB office had received various complaints regarding disposal of ash slurry into Nandgaon ash pond without permission or without providing any precautionary measures resulting in water and air pollution in the vicinity, which amounts to a violation of various environment norms..

“Accordingly, Boards official had inspected the Nandgaon ash pond and verified the disposal of ash slurry in the Nandgaon ash pond without providing any pollution control arrangements…Now, therefore, in view of the above, you (KTPS) are hereby directed to comply with the following directions: You shall stop disposal/dumping of ash slurry into the Nandgaon ash pond, immediately,” the notice reads.

The MPCB has also cautioned KTPS that in case there is a failure to comply with these directions, the Board would have no option left but to issue appropriate legal action against the power station. Affected villagers had requested the MPCB, Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MAHAGENCO) as well as Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray to curb the disposal of harmful pollutants keeping in mind the deteriorating health of local residents affected by pollution.

Out of 21 surveyed villages in the area surrounding the two power plants, “A total of four villages reported health problems due to water being contaminated, either due to fly ash settling in water or due to other contamination of drinking water. At the same time, 9 out 21 villages reported health problems that they attributed to air pollution due to fly ash including difficulty in breathing (9 villages) respiratory diseases like bronchitis and asthma (5 villages) frequent cough and cold, throat infection (4 villages) and irritation in the eyes and eye infections (7 villages),” researchers had noted in November last year.