The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has recently mandated the creation of a ‘Fly Ash Management and Utilisation Mission. This comes in response to the egregious handling of fly ash, a byproduct of coal combustion, by coal thermal power stations. Unscientific storage and disposal methods, for instance, have resulted in the leakage of industrial effluents and fly ash into the Rihand Reservoir.
Fly Ash Management and Utilisation Mission: Objectives and Functions
The Fly Ash Management and Utilisation Mission aims to monitor the disposal of the unutilised annual stock of fly ash and to evaluate means of utilising the 1,670 million tonnes of legacy fly ash in the least hazardous fashion. The mission will also oversee the implementation of safety measures by power plants. Monthly meetings will be held for one year in order to assess the state of fly ash management in coal power plants, and develop action plans and road maps for individual plants.
Leadership & Nodal Agency
The Mission is set to be led by the secretaries of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Union Ministry of Coal and Power, along with the chief secretaries of states where the mission is being implemented. The secretary of MoEF&CC will act as the nodal agency for coordination and compliance.
Distinction from Fly Ash Notification 2021
Unlike the Fly Ash Notification 2021, issued under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, this mission extends the responsibility of fly ash management to the chief secretaries of the states. The Notification mandates thermal power plants to regularly update information about ash production and utilisation on their websites. Conversely, the Mission will maintain and update quarterly progress reports on MoEF&CC’s website.
Understanding Fly Ash
Fly ash is an unwanted byproduct of coal combustion in coal thermal power plants. It contains substantial amounts of silicon dioxide, aluminium oxide, ferric oxide, and calcium oxide. Although similar to Portland cement in appearance, it has different chemical properties, such as its ability to harden when mixed with water.
Uses and Hazards of Fly Ash
Fly ash is used in a variety of applications including concrete and cement products as well as road base. However, it also poses significant environmental and health risks. Fly ash particles are toxic air pollutants that can cause various diseases, including heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, and stroke. When combined with water, they can cause heavy metal leaching into the groundwater, soil pollution, and negatively impact the root development system of trees.
Addressing Fly Ash Accumulation
Mismanagement and under-utilisation of fly ash have resulted in the accumulation of 1,670 million tonnes of this byproduct. To combat this, initiatives such as the National Thermal Power Corporation’s invitation for Expression of Interest for sale of fly ash, collaboration with cement manufacturers for fly ash supply, and the use of fly ash bricks under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) have been introduced. Various state governments have also come up with their own policies for fly ash utilisation. The government has launched a web portal and a mobile application “ASHTRACK” for monitoring of fly ash production and utilisation, and the GST rates on fly ash and related products have been reduced to 5%.
