‘Poovulagin Nanbargal’, along with ‘Manthan Adhyayan Kendra’, has done an environmental study to highlight the various health hazards caused by the operation of two thermal power stations and a mine in Neyveli and Cuddalore.
The report titled ‘POWERing Pollution - The Environmental Impacts of Thermal Power Stations and Mining Operations in Neyveli and Parangipettai’, was released at a press meet held in the Chennai Press Club on Tuesday.
While the NLCIL operates five thermal power stations of 3,640 mega watt (MW) comprising Neyveli TPS II, Neyveli 1 Exp, Neyveli II Expn, Neyveli New and TAQA Neyveli, the IL&FS Tamil Nadu Power Company Ltd. (IPTCL) operates a 1,200 MW sea water-based power plant in Cuddalore.
Shripad Dharmadhikary of ‘Manthan Adhyayan Kendra’, who was one of the authors of the report, said the findings carried out in 20 locations in Neyveli where the NLCIL (formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation) operates huge thermal power pants and mines showed drinking water sources to be seriously contaminated with high levels of mercury, selenium and fluoride.
Mr. Dharmadhikary said the mercury content in a borewell water source in Tholkappiar Nagar of Vadakuvellur, was found to be 250 times above the permissible limit. In the same village, drinking water was found to contain high turbidity and selenium resulting in kidney problems and respiratory and skin issues. The health hazards were also caused by the dumping of fly ash from TPS, and coal dust from mines, polluting the air along with the discharge by the effluent directly from the TPS and mines, he added.
The report also mentions the absence of adequate government hospital facilities to treat the villagers affected by the presence of the TPS and mines. The NLCIL authorities were also not allowing the villagers to use their hospital for providing treatment, it said.
The study carried out in the villages around ITPCL TPS also showed contamination of air, soil and natural water resources severely affecting the health of the people and their livelihoods. The coal storage, coal transportation, and fly ash and coal dust from the TPS have caused havoc in cultivation of paddy crop and destroyed the fertility of the soil, it added.
The survey team found visible deposition of pollutants of coal dust and fly ash in houses mostly causing respiratory issue, kidney disease, hair fall, and skin problems to the residents. The team also found the water from the borewell at Karikuppam village contaminated. It was turbid, hard and had alkaline properties. Fluoride, iron, calcium and magnesium content exceeded the permissible limits. The traditional route being taken by fishermen had been blocked by the plant thereby reducing their income.
The report urges the NLCIL to take remedial steps to discharge effluent from the coal mines and the TPS, stop dumping of fly ash in local waterbodies and carry out of desiltation of streams that carry fly ash from the TPS. It also calls for efficient monitoring of the operation of NLCIL by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
It recommends free annual health camps to be conducted twice a year for the residents and access to the villagers having health issues to the NLC General Hospital, construction of ground water recharge structures, building up of a greenbelt around the mine to arrest the coal dust pollution and fulfilment of the 16 demands of the committee formed during the acquisition of lands by the NLCIL.
The report was released in the presence of Manithaneya Makkal Katchi president and MLA Jawahirulla, soil biologist Sultan Ismail, Tamizhaga Vazhuvrimai Katchi president and MLA Velmurugan and ‘Poovulagin Nanbargal’ Sundarrajan.
