Cement Energy and Environment

door to intervene in this matter. Environmentalists criticize this attitude adopted by India's leading thermal power PSU. "Why should any industry go to the politicians to intervene in such matters?" ask noted environmentalist Mohanty. Biswajit In fact, in September last year, a similar situation had arisen in the area. A breach of close to 600 metres in the ash pond led to the spread of toxic chemicals over hundreds of acres of land in the Jerenga village. It was reported by the local people that the boundary walls of these ash ponds were also made up fly ash and vulnerable. "Each time there is a breach and we raised our voices, the NTPC authorities argued that these were breaches in the outer walls only and that the ponds were safe", the villagers lament. "We don't believe them anymore. We want a permanent solution to this problem," they say. In fact, pollution and the violation of environmental laws has been the order of the fast industrializing district of Angul. Not only NTPC, but the ash pond of National Aluminium Company (NALCO) in the district has also been a cause for concern for the people around. NALCO's notorious ash ponds have often been in news in the past and it is reported that the breach of its ash pond and the resultant pollution resulted in it's position dwindling in the market. "In 1998, the company faced a major setback as its rating in the market plummeted to the lowest ever. Half of the ports in the smelter plant went dead and the aluminium major was in severe crisis," says local environmentalist Amulay Mishra. "The ash ponds often breach and flood the Nandira river, a tributary of the Brahmani river," he says. In fact, in November 2009, acting on a complaint made by school children, the Governor of the state had ordered and enquiry into the breaches of NALCO's ash ponds and the resultant pollution of water bodies and crop fields. "Nothing works here as the companies, politicians, and bureaucracy are part of a perfect nexus to kill the region," complains Mishra. He believes that even the notices issued by the OPCB are a hoax. Rivers under stress The Angui-Talcher region is critically polluted. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has identified this region as one of the "Critically Polluted Clusters/Industrial Areas" as per the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI)-a composite index formulated by measuring various air, water, and land pollutants in a region. When the CEPI exceeds 70 , the area is described as "CEPI". In fact, the OPCB has prepared an environmental management plan for this and two other cri tically– polluted industrial clusters (lb Valley and Jharsugda) of the state. "These plans are just plans as you can see from the action taken by the Central government," says Mohanty. According to these plans prepared last December, the CEPI has already dropped significantly below the critical level of 70, and will soon drop even further with the implementation of the action plans. Based on this, the MoEF in March 201 1, lifted the moratorium on further expansion of mining and industrialization in the Angui-Talcher cluster. While poll ution is rampant, a major loss to Angul will be its dying rivers and other water sources. "Nandira has lost its existence already and if things go on like this, all other rivers will die and people will be at the mercy of companies even for drinking water, " says Prof. Arttabandhu Mishra, an env ironmentalist who has studied the rivers of this region . Heavy consumption, high discharge National Aluminum Aluminium 5,066 4,900 Company (Smelter unit) Captive Power Plant Electric 135,000 90,000 (Nalco) [960 MW] power Orichem Ltd Chemicals 170 10 Talcher Thermal Power Electric 13,227 6,483 Station (460 MW) power Talcher Super Thermal Electric 137,099 52,080 Power Plant (NTPC, power Kaniha) [3,000 MW] Miscellaneous 45,883 16,608 Source: Environmental Statement (form-V), (2006-07) , MCL, Orissa, as quoted in a paper by scholars from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad. 12