COAL-FIRED thermal power plants (TPPs) generate about 56 per cent of the country’s energy needs. But they a resource-intensive and polluting industry— they account for over 60 per cent of industrial emissions of particulate matter (PM); 45 per cent of sulphur dioxide (SO 2); 30 per cent of oxides of nitrogen (NO x); and, over 80 per cent of mercury emissions. Moreover, the sector is responsible for 70 per cent of total freshwater withdrawals. A 2017 study by the US-based University of Maryland says that India will soon become the world’s top emitter of SO 2. This scenario has arisen due to lack of effective control measures over the decades in India.
In 2015, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit, recommended a revision of the sector’s emission norms. Taking cognisance, the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) notified the new norms, and wanted them to be implemented by 2017. But the industry not only obstructed and prevaricated this move, but tried to use the Supreme Court and other agencies to shift the deadline from 2017 to 2024. Finally, the deadline was extended to 2022. But a new report by
CSE, Coal-based Power Norms: Where do we stand today, finds that with barely two years to go before the deadline hits them, almost 70 per cent of the plants will not meet the emission standards. Says CSE Director General Sunita Narain: “Our assessment finds that even after seven years since the notification and even after the agreed five-year extension given to this sector in 2017, most of the total installed coal-fired capacity will not be compliant with the crucial SO 2 standards by 2022” (see ‘SO 2 compliance and non-compliance’).
IGNORING DEADLINES
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Denne historien er fra June 16, 2020-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara