Priya* suffers from constant coughing and cannot breathe easily unless she takes puffs from the Levolin inhaler twice a day as prescribed by her doctor. A sixth standard student and resident of Palavasa-Nakkavanipalem in Visakhapatnam, close to the coal-based power plant run by Hinduja National Power Corporation Ltd (HNPCL), this has been her condition since the past two years.
"Priya suffers from continuous coughing due to dust allergy. Doctor advised us to move to a cleaner area after she was diagnosed with asthma,” said Suresh, an employee of the Hinduja plant. “But how can I go somewhere else when I have a job and house here? The child is too young and ill and can’t be made to stay in a hostel,” said,Suresh her father. Every month he has to spend Rs 4000 on medicines including the inhaler used to treat Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Five-year-old Mokshajan, a pre-primary student, a resident of the same village, had been missing school because of hyperactive airway disease for the past two years. The last time he was admitted to a private hospital the bill went up to Rs 50,000. Now we take him to government hospitals only,” said Abbayareddy, his father.
Like Priya and Mokshajan, several children in the village, some of them as young as two, are being treated for asthmatic symptoms including acute airway inflammation, caused by an irritant - the most likely cause here being the coal dust. Pranav*, now two-and-a-half years old, was diagnosed with hyperactive airway disease when he was eighteen months old. Roja*, the same age as that of Pranav*, has been diagnosed with bronchitis.
For more than six months, the residents of Palavasa-Nakkavanipalem, which is less than a kilometre from the Hinduja power plant, have been requesting the company to relocate them somewhere safer. Parents of the children who have been affected believe the pollution from the nearby ash pond is a major cause for their deteriorating health.
They allege that despite repeated requests, the management has not taken action to prevent the careless disposal of coal waste in the ash pond located barely 350 metres from their houses.
Ash ponds are engineered structures for the disposal of coal combustion byproducts of bottom ash and fly ash. The ash emanating from coal burning in power plants is a major pollutant with high levels of particulate matter and elements like carbon, arsenic, boron, chromium and lead. Those living near the HNPCL plant today live in almost unlivable conditions, mostly due to air pollution and the ash pond.
Although ash ponds store coal dust in slurry form, when overlain by several layers, ash deposits get consolidated into high density layers with little or no free water. When the pond turns dry dust can spread quickly through the wind.
Simachalam, a 60-year-old resident, said on dry arid days, airborne particles threaten homes. “The water well, which was a source of water for agriculture, is now contaminated, and the natural vegetation close to the ash pond has significantly decreased,” he said, pointing to the coconut trees nearby. “Coconut trees are known for their strength. Look at them, they have no leaves now. Are humans stronger than them? Other crops are not growing here anymore and cattle have fallen sick by grazing in the area,” he said.
The village residents approached the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) which issued a show cause notice to the Hinduja plant in April this year. However, as not much was done, they finally approached the High Court which now has now converted their writ petition into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
Botta Somaraju, a 53-year-old resident, who filed the pleas seeking compensation for HNPCL's alleged environmental violations, alleges that the coal-based thermal power plant has seriously harmed their health by polluting the air and groundwater. Before the HNPCL started operations, residents of Palavalasa were dependent on farming, dairying, and cattle breeding. Because of groundwater pollution, there is no cultivation and natural vegetation has been destroyed, they alleged.
The plant commissioned in 2016 after a delay of more than two decades began full-fledged operation only in 2022. When the plant became operational, the villagers hoped that the industrialisation would benefit them economically, and provide more opportunities. Promises of various benefits were made to people residing nearby. However, they are in dire straits as almost all the villagers, numbering 200, are facing health issues due to air pollution. The groundwater in the area is also polluted, making their lives difficult.
The Hinduja plant’s fly ash pond is spread across 200 acres and at a distance of 350 m from the village, which is inside Parvada, a Special Economic Zone, which has several other industries including the Vizag steel plant, the National Thermal Power Corporation and pharma companies. The development brought jobs and many were able to build new houses but they never thought that the pollution would make the area unliveable.
Environmental pollution
The Revenue Divisional Officer of Visakhapatnam, along with officials of relevant departments, conducted a meeting with villagers on April 12, 2023. During this meeting, villagers alleged that the power plant was responsible for both groundwater and air pollution, resulting in loss in vegetation, health problems among residents, and harm to cattle. The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board's (APCB) follow-up inspection showed that the concentration of PM10 (130/100) particles in the air was above safe limits while that of PM2.5 (55/60) was dangerously close to the hazardous limit.
The official recommended continuous sprinkling of water on the entire pond, which would prevent the ash from mixing with the air. APCB noted that inadequate water sprinkling along the peripheral road of the ash pond allowed dry ash to become airborne and lead to air pollution. The accumulation of ash on roads and insufficient soil cover around the ash ponds was identified as contributing to dust pollution. The report also pointed out the non-compliance with SO2 emissions standards.
The Union government had set a deadline for thermal power plants to comply with emissions standards by installing Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units that cut emissions of toxic sulphur dioxide (SO2). HNPCL has to meet the target by December 2023. A Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis of compliance status said two plants in Andhra Pradesh - Dr Narla Tata Rao TPS (1760 MW) and the Vizag plant run by Hinduja are unlikely to comply with the norms.
Groundwater samples collected from two locations in the village also indicate pollution. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in borewell samples were excessively high (5600~6000 mg/L) than the permissible level of 2000 mg/L. Total Hardness, Chloride, Calcium, and Magnesium levels exceeded potable water standards fixed by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The CPCB had issued a show-cause notice on April 25, 2023 seeking explanation for violation of pollution control norms.
However officials of the Hinduja plant contend that the groundwater is getting contaminated because of proximity to sea. The baseline data calculated (for four seasons) before the establishment of the plant for environmental impact has much lesser values. For instance TDS was between the range 1500~1600 (current value~ 5000-6000), while Chlorides were between 500~550. Plant management officials told TNM that they are supplying drinking water to the village as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity.
But the residents said they are using it only for washing and other purposes because of high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).
"The residents went to court based on the report we provided. A regular online monitoring system has been set up to regularly check ambient quality. If any rules are being broken we immediately take care of it. The plant management had deployed manual sprinklers on dry ash following the show cause letter,” the APPCB official said.
Babu Rao, member of Scientist for People, told TNM that the amount of ash in Indian coal is higher. It is considered to vary between 25% to 45% while ash in imported coal varies between 10% to 20%. “The mechanism to keep the ash in a slurry state needs water, where will the sprinklers get water from?”While HNPCL claims that percentage of ash in the coal used by them is 34, oOne of the tables in the report on fly ash generation at coal-based thermal power plants for the year 2021-22 shows that HNPCL had been using coal with high ash content - 55.8%. Another table shows this as 40.28%, indicating that data is not reliable.
TNM while visiting the site did not find water being sprayed. Moreover, the sprinklers were placed only on one side of the pond. In the middle of the pond, the ash remained powdery and visibly airborne.
“Ash ponds are set up at a higher ground everywhere, to avoid mixing up with the groundwater but, since HNCPL is located in the coastal region, the water table is higher in the area. This allows seepage of chemicals. “Why did the pollution control board officials approve the setting up of the ash pond near residential colonies,” asks Babu Rao.
“If we look at the report of the environmental engineer, we notice that only qualitative checks on pollutants like SO2, N03 etc, with regard to the concentration of gases. It does tell us how much quantity is released into the environment,” Babu Rao said. “Development is understood as a need but for some to enjoy the fruit some lives are compromised,” Babu Rao said.
An APPCB official told TNM that there is no rule that the ash pond cannot be set up near residential colonies. He however said several thermal plants operate violating several rules and guidelines and Hinduja is not an exception.
“It does not matter whether the ash pond is 300m or 1km, the pollutants still mix with air if right precautions are not taken,” Somasekhar Vaddi, lawyer appearing for the residents, said.
Senior researcher Shripad Dharmadhikary from Manthan Adhyayan Kendra said it doesn’t matter whether the ash pond has been constructed as per rules. “What matters is whether those who live there are facing difficulties because of pollution from the ash pond and who is responsible,” said Shripad.
Culprit: High ash content in coal and accumulated ash
In September 2022, the Central Electricity Authority released draft guidelines on Design, construction, Operation and Maintenance, and Annual Certification of Coal Ash Ponds. The rules require storage of fly ash for 16 hours in silos before transportation into the ash pond. These rules have been mandated to ensure 100% dry ash extraction and storage so that entrepreneurs utilising ash for construction of bricks and other products utilise the material effectively.
The Environmental statement for the year 2022-23 submitted by HNPCL to APCB shows that fly ash production during the process of power generation went up from 67595 Metric Tonnes in 2021-22 to 1229238 Metric Tonnes in 2022-23, a whopping increase of 1718.53%. Bottom ash also nearly doubled from 16899 MT to 307309MT during the period, a similar increase in percentage.
The tables show no solid waste from the pollution control facility. While this increase in quantum of byproducts could be due to the factory starting full production, the environmental statement shows the quantity of waste recycled or reutilized is nil. The disposed waste has gone from 86288 MT to 1536547 MT, an increase of 1680.72%. Interestingly, the CEA report on fly ash generation and utilisation for the year 2021-22 shows the fly ash utilisation for HNPCL was 478.97%, the highest among 103 thermal plants using coal or lignite across the country. Data on state-wise fly ash generation from the same report shows Andhra Pradesh with 8 units utilised 97.66%.
An APPCB official said the higher percentage could be due to utilisation of accumulated ash. "It may not be due to data manipulation. Ash can be stored according to the capacity of the ash pond. For some reason the ash could have been not disposed of and hence it got accumulated. But storing so much quantity of ash will cause pollution,” the official said.
“The storage level in the ash pond has to be monitored by the Pollution Control Board but there is no mechanism to do this,” said Babu Rao of Scientist for People.
An HNPCL official said since the plant was operating on and off, the ash could have accumulated. “The plant was in operation for around 40 days for the year 2021-2022. Hence this could be the accumulated ash from 2018 or 2019,” the official said. When questioned on the high ash content as per the CEA report, the official said that no way could it be as high as 55%. “The ash content can be 40% when blended coal is used (imported and Indian),” the official said.
*Names of children and villager residents have been changed to protect identity