Skip to main content

Why Jhabua power plant is unable to eliminate 'dangerous' fly ash reserves

By Deepmala Patel* 

Avantha Power and Infrastructure had promised to provide employment to the people living in the area when the Jhabua power plant was commissioned. Although it is currently owned by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), this power plant which promised development in the area is wreaking havoc. The toxic ash coming out of the Jhabua power plant has been illegally dumped in the fields of tribal farmers of Gorakhpur, Barela, Umarpani and Bineki of Ghansor development block of Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh for more than two years. Despite all the complaints, the dangerous ash is destroying the farmers’ fields and their crops.
Last year, NTPC had signed a written contract to dump ash on the land of farmers of Khud and Khutatal villages, but the matter of dumping ash on the farmers’ fields did not stop here. In 2022, the power plant management again signed another contract with some farmers of Umarpani village and the work of removing gravel and soil from their fields and filling the ash there was done till June 2023. 
This deadline was extended by the management till June 2024, but this year the ash is being dumped in the fields of the farmers of Umarpani, Bhattekhari and Rajgarhi villages without making an agreement with them. The management is dumping the poisonous ash coming out of the plant in the fields of 20–22 farmers of these villages. For this, the farmers protested by staging a dharna in front of the Sub Divisional Magistrate, but no action was taken. Other farmers of the tribal community of the area are upset that this dangerous ash will be suddenly filled in their fertile fields without any information. 
If remedial measures are not taken soon on this problem, then this poisonous ash will flow into the rivers, drains, ponds and nearby fields in the coming rainy season and contaminate them. Scientists of the State Pollution Control Board and environmental experts are constantly expressing concern that if the fly ash stock is not disposed of safely, then the danger to the environment will increase further. This ash, along with poisoning the water and environment, can also spread diseases like TB, asthma, lung infection, skin diseases and cancer among the people living here.
According to a report by Raj News Network, Bhavna Malgamat Tehsildar Ghansor said that the Naib Tehsildar has investigated the ash being dumped by Jhabua Thermal Power Plant in Umarpani and the investigation report has been submitted to the SDM. The SDM has also given the full report to the District Mining Officer, but no proper action has been taken on it till date. The local community is bearing the brunt of the indifference of the local administration.

Why was the Environmental Clearance changed

Initially, the Environmental Clearance stated that ‘no tribal land will be acquired for the power plant’ which was later removed by the Ministry’s corrigendum dated 22.12.2010. This is a convenient way to favour industries over people. The result is that today this ash is being dumped anywhere in the area. While the ash pond of the power plant is spread over 56.4 hectares, now the question arises that why is the management choosing the fertile land of tribal farmers for dumping the ash.
According to a report published in People’s Newspaper, Jhabua Thermal Power Plant has been violating the conditions of environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests by storing ash for the last several years. The flying of this ash is adversely affecting the health of the nearby residents. 
In Madhya Pradesh, ash produced from 13 power plants is 15.1695 million tonnes. If this 5.5505 million tonnes i.e. 36.59% is being used
According to the local people, ever since the Jhabua Thermal Power Plant has been established in this area, the environmental balance of this area has been disturbed. Due to the flying of ash all around, the temperature of the area is also increasing. 
The dirty water of the power plant is being released into the local Godi drain adjacent to the power plant area and this drain is joining the Narmada River through the Pariyat drain, due to which the chemical-laden water of contaminated fly ash is getting mixed in the Narmada River. Drinking the contaminated water of this drain is adversely impacting the health of animals.

Ash management status

The assessment of the ash production and use status of the first half of the year 2022-23 released by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has been done on the basis of data received from thermal power stations. So it was found that in this report, in the status of 2022-23, 142.0653 million tonnes of ash is produced from 175 thermal power plants with a capacity of 20,5623.00 MW across the country. The central government claims that out of this, 111.6124 million tonnes of ash is being used. That is, 78.14 percent, which has been used much less than last year 2021-22. Talking about Madhya Pradesh, the ash produced from 13 power plants is 15.1695 million tonnes, but out of this only 5.5505 million tonnes i.e. 36.59% is being used. Whereas in Jhabua Thermal Power Plant having capacity of 600 MW, only 0.2470 million tons of ash has been used out of 0.5837 million tons, only 42.31 percent of the ash is being used.
Whereas according to the Ash Utilisation Notification 2021, there was a condition to use 100% of the ash generated from the power plant. Is the ash of the power plant being dumped in the fields of poor, tribal farmers to fulfil this condition? Despite lakhs of complaints by the local community to the administration and power plant management, the irresponsible behaviour of the administration is endangering the lives and means of employment of these tribal communities. Today, many questions are being raised on this silence of the administration.
---
*Source: Centre for Financial Accountability 

Comments

TRENDING

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.

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

What's behind Donald Trump's 'narco-state' accusation against Venezuela

By Manolo De Los Santos  The US government has revived its campaign to label Venezuela a "narco-state", accusing its top leadership of drug trafficking and slapping hefty bounties on their heads for capture. This campaign, which only momentarily took a backseat, is a strategic fabrication, not a factual assessment. This accusation, particularly amplified under the Trump Administration, is a calculated smokescreen to justify a long-standing agenda: the overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the seizure of its vast oil and mineral resources. A closer examination of the facts reveals a country that has actively fought drug trafficking on its own terms and a US government with a clear and consistent history of destabilizing independent countries in Latin America.

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857  By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman*  Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”