A new study has found that the soil, water, and air in the villages around the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, are seriously contaminated. The pollution has also caused residents of adjacent villages to suffer from health conditions like skin, kidney, and respiratory diseases, the study noted. It recommended that the Union government formulate a plan to gradually decommission the mines and power plants in Neyveli. The study on the environmental impacts of operating the NLC was conducted jointly by Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental group based in Chennai, and Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, a research institute that analyses and monitors water and energy issues.
Between 2006 and 2013, the NLC acquired 304 hectares of farmland from six villages near the plant. With the NLC having begun to take possession of this land now, the crops that farmers had grown on the lands in the period between the initial acquisition will have to be destroyed. This sparked protests from farmers and political parties like the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). It was in light of these developments that Poovulagin Nanbargal and Manthan Adhyayan Kendra undertook the study.
Seven villages and a town, Parangipettai, in the vicinity of the NLC plant were chosen for the study, which involved focus group discussions and individual interviews of 101 persons. Apart from that, two rounds of soil and water samples testing were conducted — from 20 locations in the first round in December 2022, and 11 locations in the second round in April 2023.
In the first round of testing, water was discovered to be seriously contaminated with mercury, fluoride, and selenium in nine out of the 20 locations in the villages around Neyveli. During the second round, water from eight out of the 11 locations were seriously contaminated, while two were significantly contaminated. In Tholkappiyar Nagar in Vadakuvellur, mercury content in a borewell was found to be 250 times more than the permissible level for water used for consumption.
The study found that people from the villages around the plant suffered from skin, kidney, and respiratory diseases due to water contamination and air pollution. Forty seven of the 101 people interviewed said that they suffered from kidney stones and/or kidney failure, while 36 reported respiratory issues. Several people were undergoing dialysis as well, the study said.
Five locations where effluent discharges were coming directly from the thermal plant were identified during field visits. One such location is the Moopeneri lake, which is used by people for irrigation and other purposes. The report said that earlier, 96 acres of the lake was accessible to people, but now, only 1-2 acres are accessible, as the remaining part of the lake has been polluted by effluents. When water from the places where the effluents flow into were tested, it was discovered that it contained high levels of mercury and selenium. Apart from that, heavy metals like iron, aluminium, magnesium, and manganese were also found in the water samples.
Upon testing the soil from the region close to the power plant, it was found to contain high levels of zinc, copper, and nickel. The dust pollution from the mines and fly ash deposits cause the high presence of metals in the soil. Residents of the village also told the researchers that high levels of metal reduce the fertility and crop yield of the soil, which further impacts their livelihood.
In Parangipettai, a town in Cuddalore, the issues are similar to the ones faced by the residents of the villages around Neyveli. Water, soil, and air are heavily contaminated due to effluents and dust from the mines and the thermal plant. Apart from that, fly ash from the area where coal is transported from also settles on the land, thereby contaminating it and reducing fertility. Residents reported respiratory, skin, and kidney diseases.
Of the five samples of water collected from Parangipettai, three were classified as heavily contaminated while two were significantly contaminated. The water from the borewell at Karikuppam, which is used for consumption, was found to be seriously contaminated with fluoride, iron, calcium, and magnesium, all exceeding the permissible limits.
The study recommended several steps to prevent environmental pollution and to improve the lives of people around the NLC plant. It has asked the NLC to take steps to prevent pollution caused by the plant and stated that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) must monitor the plant regularly. The study further said that a committee must be formed to study the damage that has already been caused by the plant and measures should be taken to mitigate them.
Another demand was that no new mining or thermal projects must be undertaken in and around Neyveli and no new land must be actively mined, even if it was part of an active mine earlier. It also recommended that the Union government formulate a plan to gradually decommission the mines and power plants in Neyveli because they have contaminated the air, water, and soil in the nearby villages.