Ash leak in Reliance Coal Power plant in Madhya pradesh India

 

Singrauli a district in Madhya Pradesh remain under constant threat of man made disaster due to presence of 10 coal power plant . Three incident of breach in  artificial pond near power plants in Singrauli happened in the last one year . The latest one was of Reliance Coal Power plant  in which two villagers - a 35-year-old man and an eight-year-old boy - have died and four are missing after a breach in an artificial pond that stores toxic residue.Similar incident was reported by local media in which a fly ash dyke break at a plant operated by Essar in August and another run by NTPC Ltd in October.

                                                                  Photo courtesy -  (Sourced)

                                   Pic:- Place near the Reliance coal power plant after the incident

 

 

 

30 members of the National Disaster Response Force or NDRF is involved in the search operation for other villagers. "So far two bodies of an eight-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man have been recovered from the ash slurry, around seven km away towards the border with Uttar Pradesh," said Singrauli District Collector KVS Chaudhary.

 

In a statement, Reliance Power said: "The break in the ash dump yard wall pushed the water leading to break in the boundary wall affecting some thatched houses and minor land parcel. The company added that it is investigating the reasons underlying the incident.  Power plant operations, which are not disrupting the relief work, continue, the company said. 

 

 

 A 2012 study by India's Centre for Science and Environment found mercury levels in blood samples in the region - home to over 10 coal-fired power plants - to be six times more than what is considered safe.After these kind of incidents the ash in the soil hit agricultural output for at least two seasons.These plants have made Singrauli the second-most critically polluted industrial zone in the country after Ghaziabad, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

 

Just a few months back, a national green tribunal team had visited the area. All power companies had assured the team that their ash dykes were in good health and were being maintained. Singrauli is a critical zone in the country. Many directions have been passed in the past but no one seems to listen, said Ashwani Dubey in an interview ( reported by NDTV,) a lawyer who has fought cases related to pollution in Singrauli in the green court.

 

 

 

 

                                          Singrauli district , Madhya Pradesh

 

 

 

In August last year, after a similar breach in a power plant run by Essar, the company had alleged that it was a clear case of sabotage. However, a government report on the breach had blamed it on extreme carelessness by the company management  and held them responsible for a sub-standard boundary and not clearing waste material from the boundary.

This is really a critical situation if companies don't pay any heed to the rules and regulation since we all remember the long lasting effect of the Bhopal gas leak , the man made disaster which destroyed the life of lakhs of people . No one want that kind of things to be repeated again at any cost .

 

We are expecting from government and court to take strict action against all the companies which don't follow Safety rules which will help in avoiding such kind of incident in future .