New Delhi: Ban on dumping and disposal fly ash discharged from Coal or lignite based thermal power plants on land or in water bodies, the Center has made it mandatory for such plants to ensure 100% utilization of ash in an eco-friendly manner, and for the first time introduced non-compliance based penal system. On the principle of ‘polluter pay’.
Obligation to achieve ash utilization targets will come into effect in a three- to five-year cycle from April 1. As far as the unutilized accumulated ash (legacy ash) is concerned, the ministry has given 10 years to the power plants to use it progressively.
Under the new rules notified by the environment ministry last Friday, non-compliant power plants will be charged with environmental compensation of Rs 1,000 per tonne on unused ash at the end of every financial year. amount collected by Central Pollution Control Board Received from Thermal Power Plants (CPCBs) will be used for safe disposal of waste ash. It can also be used to advance research on ash uses, including ash based products.
Although fly ash utilization in India has increased from about 10% in 1996-97 to an all-time high of 92% in 2020-21, over 170 lakh tonnes remained unutilized during the last financial year, when 179 thermal power plants had produced 222 million tonnes of fly. Ashes
As unutilized fly ash poses environmental hazards leading to pollution of soil and groundwater and air pollution, the ministry has now made it mandatory for all agencies (government, semi-government and private) to undertake construction activities like road construction, road is engaged in. and flyover embankments, shoreline protection structures in coastal districts and dams within 300 km from lignite or coal based thermal power plants, to utilize the ash in these activities.
In that case, the power plants will have to deliver fly ash free of cost to the project sites. However, the power plant may charge for the cost and transportation of the ash as per mutually agreed terms, if it is able to dispose of the ash by other means.
The government had issued the Fly Ash Utilization Order in 1999 and subsequently amended it several times. The latest one to achieve the target of 100% fly ash utilization was issued after reading suggestions on its draft issued last year. “The statutory obligation of 100% utilization of ash shall be treated as a change in law, wherever applicable,” the new notification said.
CPCB and related State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) or pollution control committee (PCC) would be the enforcement and monitoring authority to ensure compliance of the provisions and would monitor the use of ash on a quarterly basis. “The CPCB shall develop a portal for the purpose within six months from the date of publication of the notification. The District Magistrate concerned shall have concurrent jurisdiction to enforce and monitor the provisions of this notification,” the order said.
The ministry has also notified eco-friendly use of fly ash such as making bricks, blocks, tiles, fiber cement sheets, pipes, boards and panels. It is also used in cement manufacturing, ready mix concrete, construction of road and flyover over embankment, ash and geo-polymer based construction material, construction of dam, low-lying filling, quarry filling and shoreline protection. can go. structures in coastal districts. Power plants can export ash to other countries as well.
Obligation to achieve ash utilization targets will come into effect in a three- to five-year cycle from April 1. As far as the unutilized accumulated ash (legacy ash) is concerned, the ministry has given 10 years to the power plants to use it progressively.
Under the new rules notified by the environment ministry last Friday, non-compliant power plants will be charged with environmental compensation of Rs 1,000 per tonne on unused ash at the end of every financial year. amount collected by Central Pollution Control Board Received from Thermal Power Plants (CPCBs) will be used for safe disposal of waste ash. It can also be used to advance research on ash uses, including ash based products.
Although fly ash utilization in India has increased from about 10% in 1996-97 to an all-time high of 92% in 2020-21, over 170 lakh tonnes remained unutilized during the last financial year, when 179 thermal power plants had produced 222 million tonnes of fly. Ashes
As unutilized fly ash poses environmental hazards leading to pollution of soil and groundwater and air pollution, the ministry has now made it mandatory for all agencies (government, semi-government and private) to undertake construction activities like road construction, road is engaged in. and flyover embankments, shoreline protection structures in coastal districts and dams within 300 km from lignite or coal based thermal power plants, to utilize the ash in these activities.
In that case, the power plants will have to deliver fly ash free of cost to the project sites. However, the power plant may charge for the cost and transportation of the ash as per mutually agreed terms, if it is able to dispose of the ash by other means.
The government had issued the Fly Ash Utilization Order in 1999 and subsequently amended it several times. The latest one to achieve the target of 100% fly ash utilization was issued after reading suggestions on its draft issued last year. “The statutory obligation of 100% utilization of ash shall be treated as a change in law, wherever applicable,” the new notification said.
CPCB and related State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) or pollution control committee (PCC) would be the enforcement and monitoring authority to ensure compliance of the provisions and would monitor the use of ash on a quarterly basis. “The CPCB shall develop a portal for the purpose within six months from the date of publication of the notification. The District Magistrate concerned shall have concurrent jurisdiction to enforce and monitor the provisions of this notification,” the order said.
The ministry has also notified eco-friendly use of fly ash such as making bricks, blocks, tiles, fiber cement sheets, pipes, boards and panels. It is also used in cement manufacturing, ready mix concrete, construction of road and flyover over embankment, ash and geo-polymer based construction material, construction of dam, low-lying filling, quarry filling and shoreline protection. can go. structures in coastal districts. Power plants can export ash to other countries as well.
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