The Odisha government is set to release a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for fly ash disposal and focus on an eco-friendly slurry pipeline system within this week, Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari informed on Monday.
According to official sources, the new SOP aims to streamline and modernise the disposal mechanism, especially in thermal power plant-affected areas in the State.
The Minister stated that consultations are underway with both the central and state-level institutions. Unlike the current disposal system using trucks, the new approach will prioritise transporting fly ash in slurry form through pipelines to uninhabited zones.
The move is expected to significantly reduce the environmental and public health hazards associated with ash transportation and dumping. The government believes this method will ensure safer and more efficient fly ash evacuation from thermal power stations.
In addition, NLC India Limited has proposed the development of a dedicated fly ash pond at Talabira, for which discussions are underway with the district administration. The Minister advised swift action within a month on this proposal.
Coal-based thermal power production has severely affected four major districts: Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, and Angul. Local communities in these areas have been struggling with unchecked pollution and the absence of proper fly ash management protocols.
A new SOP for the fly ash disposal has already been prepared. It is likely to be released in the coming week. I have ordered NLC India Limited to identify land for the proposed ash pond at Talabira, in coordination with the district administration. The spot must be located at a farther place from human settlement, so that it will not affect life and property in case it collapses due to any eventuality, the Minister stated to mediapersons.
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