A 350 organiser in Jalgaon, Maharashtra told us how he and his family are having to spend thousands of rupees every month (almost a thousand rupees a week) to buy water from private water suppliers. This is only resulting in rapid ground water depletion through continuous drilling of deep bore wells across the drought affected regions. An average thermal power plant, the ones running and those proposed have low efficiency of water usage. Around 3.11 to 4.92 cubic meters per MW per hour is used by the plants i.e. taking an average of 4, it would result in (4*24*345*600) almost 20 million cubic meters of water an year for a 600 MW plant. This is the same amount of water that can irrigate 4000 hectares or almost 10,000 acres of land.   A recent greenpeace report highlighted the ills of such water diversion which is causing severe stress. The state water policy gives precedence to industries and non-agricultural use of water than for farming purposes.

http://indiabeyondcoal.org/?attachment_id=926

South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP) says the blame lies squarely on building unviable large dams, wrong cropping patterns, water diversion for non-priority uses, neglect of local water systems and unaccountable water management by the State government, the Centre and the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA), set up in 2005. Recently, all six units of the Parli thermal power plant in Beed district of Maharashtra have been shut down because of severe water shortage in the Marathwada region. The plant used to receive water from the Khadka dam but the supply was stopped as the water level in the dam has almost dried up.

At times of human crisis like the one we are facing in Maharashtra, we need leadership that the present Government is unable to offer. Leadership that can draw and implement policies that can ensure the health and safety of the millions of subsistence farmers who depend on the monsoons and the irrigation for survival.

Here is a campaign that is asking the chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to stop diverting water to thermal plants when there is a massive drought in Maharashtra.

http://www.greenpeacex.in/petitions/divert-the-water-allocated-to-industries-back-to-the-farmers-battling-the-drought-1

Through detailed analysis, the report shows that the largest impact of emissions is over Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Indo-Gangetic plain, and most of central-east India. These are regions with high population density and greater vulnerability to impacts of coal . Using a conservative value of Rs. 2,000,000 ($40,000) per life lost, the premature mortality estimates from this study would result in a health cost of Rs. 16,000 to 23,000 crore ($3.2 to 4.6 billion) annually.

The emissions are a result of India’s growing dependence on coal for growth. With plans to dramatically increase power capacity generation through coal, the number of pre mature deaths is only set to rise. This is a dangerous trend that demands our attention and any more deaths are unacceptable. The alternatives in the form of decentralized renewable energy and energy efficiency are already here and their adoption is critical if we want to curtain these deadly impacts.

We need a moratorium of further mining in India and power plans near densely populated areas, we need a strong movement against coal! The India beyond coal project of 350.org is aimed at building the narrative against coal and pushing for the alternative solutions that already exist. Our day of action on November 10th 2012 showed that there is a growing fight against coal and the results of this report will only push us to do more to safeguard the health and lives of millions of Indians.

Here is an infographic on the health impacts. Please share it with your social networks.

Ash slurry overflow from the NTPC’s Simhadri plant in Devada village in Vishakhapatnam in June 2010.

 Punjab, the food bowl of India has been learning ground for    agriculturists, scientists, and farmers.  Even before the Green Revolution, the farmer community in Punjab was known for its agricultural practices. Till date small farmers in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, praise the skills of farmers from Punjab and wish to have land and production like the fertile region of Punjab. Farmers in other states are eager to learn from their counterparts, but our government has decided to turn a blind eye towards the great ecological disaster of Punjab.

A sudden increase in birth defects, physical and mental abnormalities, and cancer was recoded by doctors and health workers. This  alerted the medical group who are now concerned about the issue . Unfortunately, the issue failed to get attention from concerned authorities and politicians. In last 3 years various Indian and international scientists have carried out research to determine the levels of radioactivity in villages near coal-fired powered plants in Bhatinda and Lehra Mohabat. The results are unbelievable and shocking. Many children were found to have massive levels of Uranium in their bodies[1].

According to recent research by professors of Punjab University, the uranium concentration in the shallow ground water from handpumps was found to be very high with a maximum up to 100 ppb. An example is the water from tube wells of Sh. Beera Singh. These wells are about 100m away from the ash dykes of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Power Plant (GNDTP). The Uranium level was 45 (mg/L) which is three times more than the WHO (World Health Organization) recommended level of 15 mg/L.[2]

Punjab till date has only 3 coal power plants but have 10 more in the pipeline. Various reports have already indicated very high level of arsenic and carcinogenic components owing to high usage of fertilizers and pesticides in the state.  Upcoming power plants would only add fuel to fire.

Today Punjab stands as a learning example for other states. Chhattisgarh which is only twice the size of Punjab, has 12 operational coal power plants and is planning to have 60 new coal power plants by the year 2020. Maharashtra a state facing huge water crisis, with farmers committing suicide due to lack of water even for irrigation is planning to commence 50 new thermal power plants in addition to the existing thirteen.  States of Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh etc also have similar plans of increasing the number of coal power plants.

Residents of most of these states are primarily tribal forest dwellers or small farmers. To meet ever-growing power greed of Indian cities, fertile agricultural land is taken over for power plants, pristine forests a source of existence for India’s glorious wildlife are destroyed to mine coal for power plants. And to add insult to injury, those that remain in the vicinity are treated to  continuous exposure to poison that is being emitted into the air as well as the land.

But the story doesn’t end here.  A recent study conducted by School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), has found that vegetables grown near thermal power plants* to be highly contaminated with heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)[3]. Power plant samples showed 184-475% greater metal pollution index (MPI) values as compared to the background location while health risk indices (HRI) for Cd and Ni exceeded the safe limit for most vegetables[4]. This clearly means that grains, vegetables, fruits grown in areas near to thermal power plants are not fit for consumption. But they eventually wind up in market for sale.

Last year in September the overflow of ash dykes from the Rajiv Gandhi Thermal Power Plant located at Khedar village, in Hisar district of Haryana damaged standing crops in the nearby fields. No amount of monetary compensation could undo the damage done to soil, water and farmer’s hard work by the ash. The fine particles of ash that would have leached down in soil and groundwater would continue to impact crops in coming seasons as well.

Farmers in Ratnagiri, in Maharashtra blame thermal power plants and pollution from it for sudden decrease in Mango production and such great is their belief that they have been protesting against seven new thermal power plants being proposed in district.

The real cost of coal based electricity is much higher than our monthly electricity bill. Apart from social cost incurred by those who directly affected by these plants, people like you and me sitting in the comfort of our urban homes end up paying for contamination in our food because of these plants. We may switch to organic food to avoid pesticide contamination, but we cannot avoid contamination caused by power plants. Fly ash ponds and dykes pollutes underground water sources used for irrigation. Fly ash particles deposits on standing crops, smoke from chimneys pollutes the air that plants use for photosynthesis, and no farming technique can avoid contamination from these sources.

 It’s time we realize the actual price we are paying for our electricity and no subsidy in power rates can substitute price of a healthy unpolluted life. We as voters and responsible citizens have immense power in our hands, we as concerned consumers have strong say in what we purchase, it’s time we make the right choices. We have to demand the promotion of decentralized renewable energy, energy efficiency and better power distribution systems. We have to make sure that governments of other states learn a hard lesson from Punjab and rethink their ambitious plans of making each city increasingly power hungry.

Photo Courtesy: File pictures, The Hindu

[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/30/india-punjab-children-uranium-pollution?INTCMP=SRCH

[2] www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=fly ash punjab health hazards&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CEEQFjAB&url=http://physics.puchd.ac.in/dmehta/uranium-facts-201207.pdf&ei=FtQAUZHcEoXZrQernoGgBw&usg=AFQjCNHqG3hAY0987NMsOdIFiSHWMyYbJg&bvm=bv.41524429,d.bmk

*Samples were collected from Rajghat, Badarpur and Indraprastha thermal power plants in Delhi.

[3] http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-01/delhi/34196713_1_power-plants-vegetables-pollutants

[4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22326808

The CCI now has 15 ministers handpicked by the PM from his cabinet who are entrusted to review the procedures followed by ministries and departments while deciding on approvals. The environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan has received a special invitee status into the board but such nomenclature is more subversive of MoEf’s existing authorities. With an appalling lack of domain knowledge to take decisions pertaining to environmental impacts, the committee seems to be instituted to get more projects off the ground ergo more investments and energy for growth.

Speaking to the press, Saumitra Choudhary from the planning commission claims that the CCI will play a positive role in hastening clearances and enhancing investment in India from domestic and foreign corporations. There is also an ongoing discussion on undoing public hearings for projects which are in fact integral to the way we dispense justice and our sacrosanct laws around forests, human rights and livelihoods. Even suggesting such moves lays bare an attitude of callousness and undemocratic ideals from those in power.

The CCI and its work will need to be observed carefully and challenged at any level that violates the existing laws that aim to protect and conserve the invaluable natural resources of this country. Power, mining, steel and other big infra projects are to be scrutinized with much more vigor for violations of the rights of people, land and the environment. The new year has brought new challenges for civil society to tackle and we need to be on our toes all the time.

In this area, on the border of Goa and Karnataka lies the village of Kuveshi where Nirmal Kulkarni and his team at the Hypnale research station have undertaken a project entitled the 100 Solar Lamps Project. The area has small hamlets where electricity has not reached due to remote locations, non-availability of infrastructure and existing wildlife laws of the land. While the Karnataka Government has made attempts to provide solar power for households in the villages that are part of this landscape, many have been dysfunctional due to lack of maintenance and faults in batteries.

Nirmal and his team realized that school students and the people in these areas found it difficult to study and complete household work without natural light. The local community use forest paths in the night without torches, as they cannot afford them. This increases the chances of them being bitten by scorpions, snakes and other lesser wildlife. Solar lanterns appeared to be a definite help to reduce instances of human-wildlife conflict and enable that communities in this region were safe. At the same time, the solar lanterns provided by the Hypnale Research Station are part of a renewable energy solution to the problem of climate change. Instead of demanding that grid based electricity reach them, a clean, decentralized, renewable energy solution was implemented to solve the problem.

As the first stage of this project they have identified 12 schools across 12 small village hamlets for distribution of D Lite Solar lanterns. The D Lite solar lanterns are easy to use and have the highest standards in terms of quality, harnessing of solar power and ruggedness in adverse conditions. The light emitted from these lanterns is soothing and thus can be used by children for their studies and people to complete household chores post sunset.

Today they have successfully covered 3 schools and are awaiting additional supply to cover the rest of them in a phased manner. The village of Kuveshi where the Station is based has been a study model for us and we have observed the lanterns being used to their maximum limit by children as well as adults.

The team continues to seek funds and support in this project. If you’d like to know more about the project you can contact Nirmal – ophidian_nirmal@yahoo.co.in.

If you know of stories just like this one, then do share it with us – southasia@350.org

“Thanks to abundant supplies and insatiable demand for power from emerging markets, coal met nearly half of the rise in global energy demand during the first decade of the 21st Century. This report sees that trend continuing. In fact, the world will burn around 1.2 billion more tonnes of coal per year by 2017 compared to today, equivalent to the current coal consumption of Russia and the US combined. Coal’s share of the global energy mix continues to grow each year, and if no changes are made to current policies, coal will catch oil within a decade”, said Maria Van Der Hoeven, the ED of IEA. India is predicted to become the second largest coal consumer and the largest seaborne coal importer by 2017 with 204 mtce.

Such a future can spell disaster for our climate and our future. These projections are derivatives of complex equations that don’t always play out the same way in reality but this report should egg us further to do more for energy efficiency and decentralized renewable energy as the most viable alternatives to reducing our dependence on coal. If we are to limit the global temperature rise to 2 degrees (its risen by 1 degree already), we have a maximum carbon budget of 565 gigatonnes! If IEA’s projections come true, then we will bring ourselves closer to breaching our budget by 2-3 years. That does not bode well for your future generations who will be left with a burning planet on runaway climate change.

Time for political wishsy-washy-ness needs to end and real leadership has to be assumed in dealing with this monumental challenge. The issue is beyond just our energy needs as gets to the question of our very existence on the planet.

This past weekend marked an extraordinary turning point — the moment when we came together from various regions and backgrounds to share a clear, common message: we want an India Beyond Coal — a healthier and cleaner India, and an India and the planet, safe from the ravages of climate change.

Watch the video to be part of the incredible movement that we’re building and don’t forget to share and spread the message around.

And don’t forget, this is just the beginning! There is still much to do to strengthen the movement for clean energy in India. For now, however, take a few minutes to soak in the inspiration of the movement that we are building together.

Impulse NGO Network fights for child rights, especially combating child trafficking under the Meghalaya Model, on the issue of combating child trafficking from the borders of Nepal and Bangladesh to the coal mines of Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya.

Coal mining has been a growing industry in Meghalaya especially in Jaintia Hills, where the mining industry has really grown over the past thirty years. According to the report by the Impulse NGO Network, the working conditions at the mines are extremely hazardous. Since majority of the labourers are children, they are sent deep inside the mines to cut coal and work in small tunnels known as “rat holes”.

Approximately 49% of the Jaintia Hills District’s population live under the poverty line and the literacy rate is around 53%. The living conditions of the children are inhumane and unsanitary. Furthermore, children working on the mines are not permitted to go to school for this might disrupt their work.

According to the report, children have been working in these mines from when there were 8 or 9 years old. These children are usually taken from their homes by fraudulent means. According to Impulse NGO Network, they are only told that they can earn money to support their family and not about the terrible and dangerous working conditions, which they discover when they arrive at the mines.

The rat holes are approximately a kilometre long and only tall enough for children to crouch in whilst working. There are no measures in place to protect against cave-ins, and no lighting is provided.

The children are scared of the cave-ins that often happen and they want to quit but the situation is such that they can’t. They have no money to go and it’s difficult to save up money since the living expenses are high and they are paid with a meagre sum, according to the report.

Find more information on the issue on these documents:

But unlike many protests against coal in India, a very unique approach has been adopted by organizers in the remote village of Sompeta in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The locals have been fighting a proposed thermal power plant (2600 MW) over the last 3 years. An indefinite relay hunger strike has been on for the last 1060 days where individuals from the village take turns to go on a full day fast! In 2010, a police firing on the protesting crowds led to the death of 3 innocent villagers which sparked a major debate in the state assembly. The plant has since been put on hold but the Government order (GO 1107) is yet to be revoked to ensure the village lands will not be grabbed.

Over the last 6 months, the villagers have turned to solar energy to answer their energy needs. Defeating the logic that coal is a necessity to power their homes, solar energy has come as a boon to the villagers. 160 families have adopted solar and after witnessing a dramatic drop in  they are targeting 2000 families in the coming few months. With banks offering loans and small subsidies from the state Government, locals are adopting solar energy at a remarkable pace. Speaking to one of the local organizers Dhilli Rao had this to say, ” We have plans for a 1 MW solar plant to power the entire village. We are talking to different solar companies to install it. Opposing a power plant does not mean we are against development, our interest in solar energy shows we can develop without a risk to environment”.

Sompeta is an example that villages across the country can emulate. With the right policies and ambition in place, we can ensure that the new energy needs of a rapidly growing India can be met by renewable sources of energy.