Land becoming ash pond: Board suggests measures

BHUBANESWAR: One of India’s severely-polluted areas, Angul-Talcher region is grappling with the problem of land being converted into ash ponds and solid waste disposal facilities.

The process has led agriculture land turning into unproductive barren land, a problem which Orissa Pollution Control Board (OPCB) identifies as an emerging issue and has suggested abatement measures in its new action plan.

As per a study by Centre of Mining Environment under Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, land use pattern has changed from total forest and agriculture to a mixed use, thanks to mining and industrial development.

The land use pattern in 2007 showed 42.3 per cent agricultural land, 35.2 per cent forest and 14.13 per cent either barren or wasteland.

The Centre was mandated by OPCB to come up with a regional environment management plan for Angul-Talcher-Meramundali.

It says there is a marked increase in mining area, barren land and settlements in 2007 as compared to 1973 - from 0.014 to 0.60 per cent, 0.49 to 14.13 per cent and 2.12 per cent to 3.80 per cent respectively.

Though area under plantation has almost doubled since 1973, from 0.56 per cent to 1.09 per cent, there is a sharp decrease in forest land - from 46.03 per cent to 35.2 per cent. For agricultural land, it is the same from 47.9 per cent to 42.3 per cent.

In its action plan, OPCB spells out measures to check pollution as well as land degradation over the next four to five years.

As things stand today, there are proposals to set up 14 thermal power plants in the region which will lead to a situation under which the expected requirement of coal to feed the power plants will rise to 100 million tonne per annum. The plants will generate fly ash to the tune of 40 million tonne per annum and its disposal will be a massive challenge.

The pollution control board proposed that back filling of mine voids and restoration of the mined out area can help to a great extent. It also stressed the need for an action plan. It has set 2011 as a target date for the activity.

The board has also proposed creation of silo with a capacity for at least seven days ash generation for its dry storage and subsequent utilisation for cement and fly ashbased products.