Nagpur: In India, pollution and environmental degradation have reached alarming dimensions. Various factors have caused this irreversible damage including poverty, deforestation, industrial development without adequate environmental safeguards, and sheer greed.
However, media highlighting the issues regularly and socially conscientious organizations has awakened the government to impose necessary rules to ensure environmental protection. Pollution control of water, air, and land has been established by both official and private organizations and the work on environmental protection is steadily growing. To boost the existing environment-protection movement, greater emphasis is urgently needed for environmental education, peoples’ participation, population control, and cost-effective pollution control measures.
A plan to establish environmental conservation measures has been initiated at the local thermal power generation plants in Nagpur. On completion of the Thermal Power Generation Plant, the production capacity will enhance to 2000 Megawatts. This Thermal Power Plant is situated on land admeasuring 200 hectares. This plant was established from 1970 to 1983. This plant has been awarded for generating optimum power generation often during the period from 1990 to 1998. The fifth unit achieved the peak performance in 2005. This Thermal Power Generation Plant has also controlled the quantity and use of oil and grease. This control over oil and grease has made the Thermal Power Generation Plant receive Productivity Award in 2006. This Thermal Power Generation Plant has also for the first time in Asia used advanced techniques of Big Filters to prevent air pollution. The Thermal Power Generation Plant has also undertaken a tree plantation drive for environmental conservation. Nearly five lakh trees have been planted which includes Gulmohur, Karanj, Acacia, Neem etc. The tree plantation has been undertaken in a land admeasuring 152 hectares. Under the tree plantation drive, the power and fuel conservation under the directives of the Central Power Ministry, the Jatropa plants i.e. Ratna Jyot plants were also planted. Approximately 2000 Jatropha Curcas plants were planted. This plant ensures the control over Carbon Dioxide within limitations and as an added advantage we can produce Bio-Diesel from the plant.
Similarly, in order to treat the polluted water from the plant and for re-utilization of waste water, Mega-production Unit had established and was put into operation a Sewage Treatment Plant in 2002.
An Effluent Treatment Plant for purifying effluent water from the plant was established and put into operation from 1990 to 2002. In order to obtain more water, the Thermal Power Generation Plant has also put into operation an Ash Water Recovery System from the effluent moist ash. This operation of water recovered from ash through the Ash Water Recovery System helps in saving 80% water and saving of Rs 1.5 crores. Similarly the water recovered from Sewage Water Treatment plant is used for watering plants in garden, the trees planted by the Plant and some of the water is also given to farmers in near vicinity of the Thermal Power Plant. The coal ash is also given free of cost to poor brick manufacturers.
This Thermal Power Generation Plant has also been awarded with ISO 9001-2000 in August 2003 for quality control and a Certificate of appreciation from the Environmental Establishment.
Apart from this in 2006 the Greentech Foundation awarded Gold Medal to Thermal Power Generation Plant for Excellent Environment Conservation sytems. Local MLA and State Energy Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule has been holding meeting with the officials from time to time to ensure that Mahagenco increases the power generation, maintaining a natural balance in the environment while generating power.
