Shut down thermal power plants around Delhi, demands AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged rampant violation of environmental norms by thermal power plants in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and demanded that they should be immediately shut down.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged rampant violation of environmental norms by thermal power plants in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan and demanded that they should be immediately shut down.

Vehicles on city roads on a cloudy day near Rajghat Thermal Power Plant in New Delhi, India, on Friday, August 21, 2020. (Hindustan Times)

AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of being silent over alleged violation of pollution norms by these power plants.

“AAP wants to know why CPCB is silent over the rampant violation of pollution norms by thermal power plants in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Despite the Supreme Court order and Central government’s direction, 13 coal-based thermal power plants in these states have not yet adopted anti-pollution technology,” Bhardwaj said.

Referring to the Badarpur Thermal Plant in Delhi, which was shut down in 2018, Bharadwaj said, “When the Delhi government can shut down these power plants then why can’t the other states do the same.”

To be sure how polluting a thermal plant could be, the Badarpur BTPS contributed nearly 11% of Delhi’s ultra-fine respirable particles or PM 2.5. To add to it, 26% of the city’s PM 2.5 levels comprised coal and flyash which were emitted from the plant, according to a study by IIT Kanpur.

As per the Centre’s Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), when the air quality is in the severe zone (ambient PM2.5 or PM10 concentration value is more than 250 µg/m3 or 430µg/m3 respectively), coal-fired power plants and brick kilns must be shut down.

According to experts, thermal power plants are a major source of nitrous and sulphur oxides which causes coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or a tight feeling around the chest. It also causes smog.

“Moreover, the National Green Tribunal had ordered that the coal which is being used in these thermal power plants should be taken in covered transport but these states do not even follow this order. The NTPC, a central government agency, has challenged this order in the Supreme Court,” said Bharadwaj.

Bharadwaj also said that over 2,300 brick kilns, another major source of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, were yet to shift to cleaner fuels.

The AAP spokesperson said the brick kilns continue to operate and pollute air because of the “corruption of the state pollution control boards”. “The CPCB is neglecting all these issues. In the coming days, questions will be raised against Delhi and everyone will talk about dust pollution and vehicular pollution. But all these issues are already there; only the toxic air of the stubble burning is absent. When that toxic air comes here, the situation in Delhi will worsen,” he said.

The CPCB did not respond to queries for a comment on the AAP’s allegations.