Nuclear Energy

of the human body. In particular, these emissions contribute to some of the most widespread
diseases, including asthma, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. dcxix
Apart from their impact on human health, the sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and coal
dust emissions deposit over large areas, and their synergistic effect is very injurious to vegetation.
They adversely affect soil fertility, resulting in a sharp decrease in agricultural yields. When located
near forests, like the thermal power plants coming up in the Konkan region, the depositions of these
acidic gases put the forests at the risk of forest dieback (a condition in which peripheral parts of
trees are killed due to factors like acid rain). dcxx
Another major problem with thermal power plants is that they require large amounts of
water. Given the growing water crisis in the country, the plants being proposed to be sited in inland
areas will worsen this crisis. As a solution to this problem, many new thermal power plants are
proposed to be set up along the coast, so that they can use seawater. However, this will impact the
fish breeding and spawning areas, threatening the livelihoods of fishermen.
Finally, like coal mining, construction of the dozens of thermal power plants required to
meet the coal power generation target for 2032 will also mean acquisition of large chunks of land,
leading to displacement of lakhs of people. There is no alternate land in the country to be given to
them, they will end up in the slums of big cities. True, they will not be annihilated or taken to gas
chambers, but the quality of their accommodation is not going to be any better than in any
concentration camp of the Third Reich.
Costs of coal waste from plants
The damage caused by coal doesn’t end once it’s burnt. The combustion waste, also known
as coal ash, is very toxic. It contains many chemicals like lead, arsenic, boron and cadmium which
can cause cancer and other health effects. dcxxi While this waste is supposed to be sluiced with water
and let into ash ponds, thermal power plants in India invariably discharge ash into nearby water
bodies, polluting them and affecting the lives of thousands of people dependent on these water
bodies for their water supplies. dcxxii Not that the ash ponds are any better: most ash ponds are
unlined or inadequately lined, and a new official report from the US says that such coal ash ponds
have poisoned groundwater or surface water in at least 23 states, and they pose cancer risk 900
times above what can be defined as ‘acceptable’. dcxxiii
Contribution to global warming
Given the severity of the global warming crisis which is threatening the very existence of
life on earth, probably the gravest problem caused by coal based power plants is that they are the
biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world: according to one estimate, they
account for one-third of overall global emissions. dcxxiv In the US, which is the world’s biggest
emitter of greenhouse gases, the electricity sector (meaning mainly the coal fired thermal power
plants) is responsible for about one third of the country's total GHG emissions and 40 percent of
total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. dcxxv For India, the report “India: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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