Coal plants behind recurring droughts: Greenpeace

Coal based power plants in India use about 4.6 billion cubic metres of water each year

GN Bureau | June 4, 2016


#Coal   #Coal India   #Jharia Coal Field   #Anil Swarup   #CIL   #BCCL   #Coal Mines   #Western Coalfields   #Greenpeace   #Droughts  
Picture for representational purpose only
Picture for representational purpose only

India’s growing consumption of coal for energy is likely to worsen the drought situation as well as water crisis in the coming years.
According to data released by NGO Greenpeace, the coal based power plants in India use about 4.6 billion cubic metres of water each year – which is enough to cater to basic water needs of about 25.1 crore people.

Globally, coal plants are considered to be high water intensive users and China and India lead the world in use of coal for energy. In fact, India has recently replaced US as the second largest user of coal for energy.

The Greenpeace claimed that to have collected data from seven drought hit states that links the conditions there to the increased production of coal based energy.

According to Jai Krishan, Greenpeace campaigner “This drought has been devastating for millions of people, yet we continue to ignore one of the biggest water guzzlers in the country, the coal power sector.  Given the scant water supply, we have to prioritise meeting basic human needs and livelihoods over water being diverted for operating a power plant."

The Greenpeace has said given the proposals for power plants, the consumption of water for these is going to be three times higher across seven drought affected states and it could worsen the water crisis and also drought conditions.

He claimed that companies such as NTPC, Adani Power, GMR, Mahagenco, Karnataka Power Corp have already been forced to shut down plants this year due to the severe water crisis, affecting grid stability as well as company revenues.

India has 4% share of world’s water resources but more than 17% of the population.

Environmentalists believe that India needs to manage its water well to avoid frequent droughts and dependence on monsoon for good crop.

 

Comments

 

Other News

India’s forest cover increases by 5,516 sq km in four years

The Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India (FSI), an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest cover biennially since 1987 and the findings are published in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). As per the latest ISFR 2021, there is a

Steps taken to meet higher power demand of April-May

While the average growth of energy requirement in the country for 2023-24 viz-a-viz 2022-23 has been estimated as 4.9%, the months of April and May have been projected as high demand period. During the current year, the peak demand is expected to be around 229 GW during the summer period. The government ha

Millets to make comeback in army ration after half a century

As the UN has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Indian Army has steered introduction of millets flour in the rations of soldiers. This landmark decision will ensure troops are supplied with native and traditional grains after over half a century, when these were discontinued in favour

Central Bank Digital Currency has game-changing potential

When discussing digital currency, you might think of one or two well-known varieties. There is the digital representation of currency that you access with mobile and online banking services. This currency is the liability of a commercial bank. There is also cryptocurrency, a digital medium of exchange issu

An Insider’s Account of the Zail Singh Years: The Endgame

The Indian President: An Insider’s Account of the Zail Singh Years By K.C. Singh HarperCollins, 312 pages, Rs.699  

‘My Father Was a Simple Man’: Remembering Gen. Rawat

Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform By Rachna Bisht Rawat Penguin, 207 pages, Rs 599 On the morning of 8 December 202

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook    Twitter    Google Plus    Linkedin    Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter