Gujarat coal power plants highest polluters of deadliest particulate matter compared to all Indian states

By Rajiv Shah
While Gujarat may have topped Indian states in regularizing power supply to urban and rural areas, data released by a new report, “Coal Kills: Health Impacts of Air Pollution from India’s Coal Power Expansion” suggest this may have led to unprecedented health hazard in the state. The report has found that as of 2014 Gujarat’s coal-fired power plants, with a capacity of 15,900 MW, are emitting in air highest quantity of the deadliest PM2.5, the most dangerous particulate matter (PM), compared to all other state. PM2.5 is known to get absorbed deep in the lungs, causing “aggravated asthma, decreased lung function, lung cancer, cardiac problems, and premature death.”
According to top international environmental body Greenpeace, “Particles less than 2.5 micrometers, approximately 1/30 the average width of a human hair, can lodge deeply into the lungs. Sources of fine particles include all types of combustion, including power plants, motor vehicles and residential wood burning. PM2.5 is readily inhalable and penetrates deep into the lungs. PM2.5 allow for many chemicals harmful to human health to be carried into our internal organs, causing a wide range of illnesses and mortality, including cancer (especially lung cancer), stroke and damage to unborn children.”
The “Coal Kills” report has been prepared by Conservation Action Trust (India), a non-profit organization, and Urban Emissions (Pvt Ltd), an independent research group. Its data show that Gujarat’s coal-fired power plants emit 107 kilotons of PM2.5, the tiny particles which were not recognized as dangerous until relatively recently, though now they are thought to be the most deadly form of air pollution.
The next highest emitter of PM2.5 following Gujarat is Maharashtra (78 kilotons) from its 21,300 MW coal-fired power plants. The report gives no explanation as to why Gujarat’s coal-fired power plants produce such high quantity of the deadly particular matter, though their capacity is considerably less than that of Maharashtra. Other states that produce high PM2.5 are Uttar Pradesh (64 kilotons), Rajasthan (62 kilotons), and Chhattigarh (57 kilotons).

Further data in the report go to suggest that, in Gujarat, plans have been worked out to increase the capacity of coal-fired power plants to 37,700 MW by the year 2030, which will be less than three states -- Chhattisgarh (50,100 MW), Odisha (44,300 MW) and Maharashtra (42,400 MW). Even then, as far as PM2.5 is concerned, Gujarat’s coal-fired power plants will be emitting in air 173 kilotons, highest of all other states – the next highest being Odisha (151 kilotons), Chhattisgarh (149 kilotons) and Maharashtra (144 kilotons).
Suggesting that it is possible to bring down the deadly PM2.5 levels and other hazardous emissions from the coal-fired power plants by 50 per cent through flue gas desulphurization (FGD) systems like limestone injection during the combustion process, the report states, “In India, only three coal-fired plants in Maharashtra and one in Karnataka operate FGD systems. According to the Ministry of Environments and Forests, installation of FGD is in process at NTPC Bongaigaon (Assam), NTPC Vindhyachal stage-V (Uttar Pradesh), and Adani Power Mundra Ph-III (Gujarat).”
The report further states, “The Kutch region, with its access to the largest ports, hosts the largest operational TPPs in the country. The Mundra cluster (Gujarat) has a combined generation capacity of 9620 MW between two privately run coal-fired power plants located within 5km of each other. Major cities in the Mundra region are Jamnagar (major industrial port), Rajkot, and Ahmedabad (300km away, with two coal-fired power plants of 1000MW in the city).”

Pointing towards the PM pollution in India, the report says, “The global burden of disease (GBD) for 1990-2010 quantified the trends of more than 200 causes of death and listed outdoor air pollution among the top 10 risks for India, with the outdoor PM2.5 and ozone pollution contributing to an estimated 695,000 premature deaths… The ambient PM pollution was ranked 6th in 1990 with 440,000 annual deaths, which moved to 5th overall in 2010. The morbidity and mortality burden of outdoor air pollution is particularly costly in terms of work days lost, lost productivity, and loss in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), which was approximately USD 23.4 billion and 1.7% of national GDP in 2009.”
The report also finds that Gujarat’s coal-fired power plants emit very high other hazardous gases in the air, including sulphur dioxide or SO2 (highest in India at 309 kilotons); nitrogen oxides (NOx), which, at 275 kilotons, is less than five states (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal); carbon monoxide (CO), which at 231 kilotons, is less than two states (Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh); and carbon dioxide (CO2) which at 152 million tons is less than two states (Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh). For details of health hazards of these gases click HERE.

Comments

Gujarat Information Commission issues warning against misinterpretation of RTI orders

By A Representative The Gujarat Information Commission (GIC) has issued a press note clarifying that its orders limiting the number of Right to Information (RTI) applications for certain individuals apply only to those specific applicants. The GIC has warned that it will take disciplinary action against any public officials who misinterpret these orders to deny information to other citizens. The press note, signed by GIC Secretary Jaideep Dwivedi, states that the Right to Information Act, 2005, is a powerful tool for promoting transparency and accountability in public administration. However, the commission has observed that some applicants are misusing the act by filing an excessive number of applications, which disproportionately consumes the time and resources of Public Information Officers (PIOs), First Appellate Authorities (FAAs), and the commission itself. This misuse can cause delays for genuine applicants seeking justice. In response to this issue, and in acc...

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Is U.S. fast losing its financial and technological edge under Trump’s second tenure?

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The United States, along with its Western European allies, once promoted globalization as a democratic force that would deliver shared prosperity and balanced growth. That promise has unraveled. Globalization, instead of building an even world, has produced one defined by inequality, asymmetry of power, and new vulnerabilities. For decades, Washington successfully turned this system to its advantage. Today, however, under Trump’s second administration, America is attempting to exploit the weaknesses of others without acknowledging how exposed it has become itself.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

'MGNREGA crisis deepening': NSM demands fair wages and end to digital exclusions

By A Representative The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha (NSM), a coalition of independent unions of MGNREGA workers, has warned that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing a “severe crisis” due to persistent neglect and restrictive measures imposed by the Union Government.

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

Counterview

Search This Blog