Poor record of waste disposal

The plants floated tenders only once or twice a year, taking nearly four months to finalise it. Hence, used oil remained on site for more than 90 days, endangering the environment.

As TANGEDCO’s budget did not provide for noise reduction equipment including acoustic barriers and sound absorbing material, noise levels in the turbine, generator and mills of the three plants highly exceeded prescribed noise levels of 75 decibels during day and 70 decibels during night for five years ending in 2015-16. 

Even creation of a green belt comprising 33 per cent of the plant area to reduce pollution was not complied with by the three plants despite repeated reminders from the TNPCB and EMC. NCTPS discharged a total of 8.05 lakh cubic metre effluent from the ash pond directly into the Ennore creek between April 2012 and June 2014, as the Recovery Water Pump House meant to control it broke down frequently. This, despite TNPCB calling on the plant to stop discharge of effluents in its consent orders from 2012 to 2015. 

Units I to III of NCTPS and units I to V of TTPS failed, despite repeated reminders, to put up ETPs at discharge points for used sea water let into the sea. This resulted in nearly 6.58 billion M3 of sea water being let into the sea without treatment till March 31, 2016 thereby aggravating  already existing pollution levels in the sea near the plants. 

Similarly, as units I to IV of MTPS lacked an ETP, in 2013 TNPCB demanded that this be done. It also set up an online effluent quality monitoring station to monitor untreated water being discharged into the Cauvery river’s Perumpallam stream.  MTPS did so only in 2015, after a three-year delay.  

While TANGEDCO officials said that action was taken on various fronts to set matters right, they were still unable to say why the corporation flouted norms to generate power. When contacted, State Energy Secretary, Vikram Kapur, said that he was yet to see the report, though it had already been tabled in the state assembly. “Only after we see it, can the government initiate action against the power generator,” he added.