MPCB asks thermal power station in Nagpur to stop dumping ash slurry

This comes amid complaints by local residents that it is causing pollution

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has directed the Khaperkheda Thermal Power Station (KTPS) in Nagpur district to stop dumping ash slurry into a water body in Nandgaon village amid complaints by local residents that it is causing pollution.

MPCB's Nagpur regional officer A M Kare has issued a letter to the KTPS earlier this week, in which he warned that if it fails to follow the direction, then the board will initiate "appropriate legal action".

Residents of Nandgaon had earlier filed complaints with the Maharashtra government alleging that due to increased air and water pollution as a result of dumping of ash slurry by the thermal power plant, they were suffering from health issues.

"The MPCB has received various complaints regarding disposal of ash slurry into Nandgaon ash pond without permission or without providing any precautionary measures, which results in water and air pollution in the vicinity. Accordingly, boards official had inspected the Nandgaon ash pond and verified the disposal of ash slurry there without providing any pollution control arrangements," the board's letter to the KTPS said.

In November 2021, a report titled 'Polluted Power: How Koradi And Khaperkheda Thermal Power Stations are Impacting The Environment' was released by Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD) and Asar, an environmental advocacy organisation that mapped out the water contamination in areas around the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company's (Mahagenco) 2,400 MW Koradi and 1,340 MW Khaperkheda thermal power plants.

Researchers found that almost every water sample collected across 25 locations (surface and groundwater across rivers Kanhan and Kolar) near 21 villages failed to meet national drinking water standards and identified toxic elements like mercury, arsenic, lithium, aluminum, and other elements exceeded safe limits by 10-15 times.