QUESTION 11
GS3
12.5 marks
Environmental Impact Assessment studies are increasingly undertaken before a project is cleared by Government. Discuss environmental impacts of coal-fired thermal plants located at coal pitheads.
WRITE IN
9 min
200 words
What the examiner wants
Discuss the environmental impacts of coal power plants sited at coal pitheads, the kind EIA should capture.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Why pithead: saves coal transport cost, but concentrates mining and burning in one area (Singrauli, Korba, Talcher, Angul)≈30 words
- 2Air: fly ash and PM from high-ash (30-45%) Indian coal, SO2, NOx, mercury; cumulative load with mine dust≈30 words
- 3Water and land: large water draw from rivers/reservoirs (e.g. Rihand), thermal discharge, ash pond breaches and leachate with heavy metals, land under ash dykes and overburden≈30 words
- 4Health and ecology: respiratory disease, fluorosis/mercury in food chain, forest loss and displacement of tribals≈30 words
- 5EIA gaps and fixes: cumulative and carrying-capacity studies, FGD, ESPs, dry ash handling, 100% ash use, zero liquid discharge≈30 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Why plants are at pitheadsAir, water, land impacts specific to clustersHealthEIA gapsMitigation
Where marks usually go
- Writing general coal pollution points without the cumulative 'cluster' effect of mines plus plants
- Ignoring ash pond failures, the most visible pithead problem
Draw this
- Map of the Singrauli-Sonbhadra cluster showing mines, plants, Rihand reservoir and ash ponds
Value addition
- ExampleAsh dyke breaches at Essar's Mahan and NTPC Vindhyachal (2019) and Reliance Sasan (2020) in Singrauli flooded villages with fly ash.Singrauli incidents, 2019-20
- PolicyDecember 2015 emission norms set SO2, NOx and mercury limits for thermal plants; FGD deadlines have been extended several times.MoEFCC, 2015
- PolicyFly ash notification (1999, amended 2021) requires plants to achieve 100% ash utilisation within set cycles.MoEFCC
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 17 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 15 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 41 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 41 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 9 minutes, then get it checked.