Manipur government for coal power plant
- boon or curse? -

By Rajesh Khumanthem *

Recently, I came across a tender notice on our government website (PDF file) regarding inviting of Expression of Interest to select a Joint Venture Partner that will undertake mining of coal that will eventually feed a coal power plant of at least 500 MW.

Although there is a dire necessity of power in the state and it is the most important factor for the improvement of human living conditions, we must be extremely careful of the means we undertake in the name of achieving power sufficiency.

There aren't many details available on the website about the project to infer much; hopefully the people directly involved and other experts in relevant fields will weigh in with their thoughts and help us better understand the initiatives. Nevertheless it should be a cause of concern for our community.

According to the Union of Concerned Scientist, a leading science-based nonprofit working group for a healthy environment and a safer world, http://www.ucsusa.org/ , coal power plants are the single biggest air polluter in the world.

According to their study a typical 500 megawatt coal plant burns 1.4 million tons of coal each year and it causes smog, soot, acid rain, global warming, and toxic air emissions. The ash, sludge, toxic chemicals, and waste heat create tremendous environmental problems. To give you a better perspective here are some statistics:

In an average year, a typical coal plant generates:

• 3,700,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary human cause of global warming--as much carbon dioxide as cutting down 161 million trees.
• 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2), which causes acid rain that damages forests, lakes, and buildings, and forms small airborne particles that can penetrate deep into lungs.
• 500 tons of small airborne particles, which can cause chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, and premature death, as well as haze obstructing visibility.
• 10,200 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), as much as would be emitted by half a million late-model cars. NOx leads to formation of ozone (smog) which inflames the lungs, burning through lung tissue making people more susceptible to respiratory illness.
• 720 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), which causes headaches and place additional stress on people with heart disease.
• 220 tons of hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds (VOC), which form ozone.
• 170 pounds of mercury, where just 1/70th of a teaspoon deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat.
• 225 pounds of arsenic, which will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion.
• 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, other toxic heavy metals, and trace amounts of uranium.