Bathinda: The Center for Advocacy Groups for Science and the Environment has claimed that half of the new water-based coal power plants failed to meet the 2015 water use standards.
Quoting his research entitled ‘Water Inficient Power’, CSE claims that even six years after these norms It comes into force, the thermal power industry continues to water.
To support his theory that this sector added water pressure in the country, CSE said found 48% of the coal fleet in the waters district such as Barmer and Baran in Rajasthan.
“As of the most beautiful industries, the coal sector is responsible for around 70% of the total withdrawal of freshwater by all industries.
Indian power plants with cooling towers consume water twice as many as their global colleagues,” read the report.
The 2015 Norm (revised back in 2018) ordered plants installed before January 1, 2017, to meet the limit of water consumption 3.5 cubic meters per megawatt hours produced.
For plants installed after January 1, 2017, this limit is 3 cubic meters per MWH, in addition to adopting zero liquid discharge.
In addition, all freshwater-based plants must install cooling towers and meet 3.5 cubic meters.
Seawater-based plants are excluded from this limit.
December 2017 compliance deadline has long passed.
Water standard for thermal power plants was introduced in 2015 along with emissions norms.
Despite emissions norms, the deadline was revised twice (2017 and 2021), while the norms of water were ignored.
The Director of the CSE Industrial Polution Unit Program Nivit Kumar Yadav said: “Many state electricity producing areas have a water crisis and water pollution due to discharge from this plant.” CSE sinces plants more than 154 gigawatt capacity and found 50% non-obedience, mostly owned by this country.
CSE claims that some old plants operate without cooling towers, shows how not only water norms but also emissions standards.
The pre-1999 unit was identified for retirement but had not been retired or increased, said Deputy CSE Sugandha Arora program manager.
The survey found a gap in its own reported data and variance in the format in all states.
Yadav said: “This sector must reduce its large traces of water, report data accurately, and ensure zero discharge in a newer factory.”