By Nageshwar Patnaik in Bhubaneswar, February 11, 2015 :

Coal rich Odisha may have emerged as the power house of the country but it may also turn out to be the only state to bear the brunt of massive air pollution and climate change effects affecting the livelihood of millions of farmers and common people-level.

The state now has nine thermal power plants with an installed capacity of 8487 MW and eight ongoing power plant projects with an installed capacity of 6064 MW. About 36 more power plants with total installed capacity of 53721 MW are proposed to be set up in the coming years, according to state energy minister Pranab Praksh Das.

Replying to a question by BJP MLA, Dilip Ray, the minister on Tuesday told the Assembly that at present 24.52 million tons of fly-ash is produced by nine existing coal-fired power plants.  Das made it clear that once all the thermal plant go on stream in coming years, quantity of total fly-ash produced will go up to a staggering 92.5 million ton.

A study by ASSOCHAM points out huge investment in power sector the state has attracted. With 12% share in these investments, Odisha is second only to Gujarat in terms of share in new investments attracted by power sector in the country.

“Odisha has attracted new investments worth about Rs four lakh crore of the total new investments worth over Rs 31 lakh crore attracted by the power sector from various public and private sources across India during the course of financial year (FY) 2004-05 and FY 2012-13,” according to a study titled ‘State-wise analysis of power sector: Consumption, demand & investment,’ conducted by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

With investments worth over Rs 16 lakh crore, the state also accounts for third highest share of about 33 % in total outstanding investments worth over Rs 49.5 lakh crore attracted by the power sector across India as of FY 2012-13 clocking compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 26.5 %.

“Most of the power produced shall be transmitted to other states while the people of the state shall be the unwilling victims of the effects on climate change and pollution caused by the huge quantities of green house gases (GHGs) and fly ash generated. Why should Odisha take the brunt of pollution and health hazard and without adequate compensation through proper environmental management plans?” Odisha Wildlife Society secretary, Biswajit Mohanty quips.

The government had been silent to the specter of man-made catastrophe by mindlessly allowing private and public companies to set up these plants in the hottest regions of the country. For instance, the state government has allowed Sahara Group to set up two units of 66 MW each power plant at Titilagrh, a place of highest temperature zone of the state in particular and the national in general.

Most of the coal fired power stations of Odisha (around 85% @ 11000 MW from 13482 MW) are situated in Jharsuguda and Angul districts of Odisha. At around 6,000 MW and 6,200 MW of coal fired power is being generated in western and undivided Dhenkanal district respectively know as the hottest belt. At least, 100 million metric tons of coal is being fired per year from which 45 million metric tons of fly ash is being generated and disposed off on the land of Odisha.

“You can imagine the magnitude of pollution and temperature rise in the environment of Odisha. The state’s climate is already affected since rainfall distribution pattern over the last one decade has been irregular and more areas are recording higher temperatures of unnaturally high summer temperatures. There is a noticeable absence of pre monsoon showers during summer leading to heat wave conditions” adds Mohanty.