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Community Monitoring finds hot water discharge from Reliance's thermal power plant beyond permissible limits
May 05, 2006: The Machi community residing at Pale-Lingapada in the estuarine wetlands of the Dahanu creek where Reliance's thermal power plant is located, have found the hot water discharge from the 500 MW coal fired station to be beyond permissible limits.
Using an alcohol thermometer, the community has been regularly testing the waters at the inlet and outlet points of the Plant. As per the consent conditions issued by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Reliance Energy is permitted to release water not higher than 50 Centigrade of the intake. However, regular thermometer readings show the difference to be as high as 5-60 Centigrade. For instance, one set of readings showed the temperature at the inlet as 260C while it was 360 C at the outlet, 50 C higher than permitted.
The community residing at Pale- Lingapada village are traditional artisanal fisherfolk, mainly practicing inland fishing in the creek and wetlands at Dahanu. They lay their nets in and around the area near Reliance Energy's thermal power plant. Several members of the community have been complaining of problems associated with the hot water discharge from the Plant. They state that very often the temperature of the water discharged is so high, that they are unable to lay their nets. Moreover their fish catch has severely declined over the years. The catch of prawns (jassi kolambi, giskaar kolambi etc.) in general and kabri kolambi in particular has fallen drastically.
Along with local environment watchdog group DTEWA, they complained to the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA), highlighting their monitoring results and pointing out the difference in temperature. Justice Dharmadhiakri, (Chairman of the DTEPA) then directed the MPCB to conduct tests in the presence of the community and local activists.
MPCB tests hot water discharge from Reliance
On April 4th, 2006 MPCB officials conducted tests in the presence of local activists and community representatives to asses the temperature of the water discharged from Reliance's 500 MW thermal power plant in Dahanu.
Community representatives refused to accept the findings of the MPCB, which showed the discharge to be within permissible limits, given that this was no surprise visit. They conducted tests once again later in the afternoon in the presence of the press. They found the temperature to be higher than permitted, vindicating the fears of the community.
Moreover there was was sufficient reason to believe that since this was a pre-announced visit, the company was fully prepared and in a position to influence the tests results. Their readiness was obvious from the fact that approximately twenty to thirty fisherfolk were fishing at the point of the outlet of the hot water, where they are not normally permitted. In fact, community representative clearly stated that if they do come close to the discharge point to fish they arecaught and sent away.
It was also ironical to see on display two large fish (khaazari) which are not found in these shallow ponds!
Local activists and community representatives then signed a dissent note on the Joint Inspection Report prepared by the MPCB. (Read Joint Inspection Report)
Meanwhile, the following set of demands have been submitted to the Dahanu Authority:
1. Data of the past five years monitored by the MPCB and the Company be made public.
2. A system of continuous and joint monitoring of the hot water discharged be put in place, in collaboration with the affected communities.
3. The company put in place a scientific and permanent system of monitoring on site, both at the inlet and outlet providing for hourly readings that can be submitted to the H'ble Authority regularly.
The MPCB has not yet filed its report with the Dahanu Authority, while Reliance Energy's claims to be within permissible limits. (Read REL's response) The community and local activists meanwhile continue to monitor and maintain a record of the hot water discharged.
Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) renews Port plans at eco-fragile Dahanu
March 23, 2006:
The Maharahstra Maritime Board (MMB) has recently re-opened its plans to set up an industrial port in Vadhavan, Dahanu despite an order passed in 1998 declaring it illegal and impermissible.
In response to a global tender floated by the Maharashtra Maritime Board in 1996 to set up an all weather industrial port in Alewadi, Palghar, P&O Ports Australia submitted its bid. A clause in the tender agreement allowed for a change of location and the company opted to locate the port in Vadhavan, that falls in ecologically fragile Dahanu.
This proposal was met with massive opposition from the local farmers, fisherfolk, traditional die-makers and environmentalists. Locals living in Vadhavan village refused entry to the company officials to even survey the area. The main concerns being that a port of this magnitude and scale was not permissible in an area designated ecologically fragile and would completely destroy the natural resources and livelihoods of the local people.
The Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA), a quasi judicial institution, functioning as a democratic peoples court held a series of hearings for over a period of a year and a half to decide on the question of a port in Dahanu. Detailed legal submissions were made by the company, the local communities and environmentalists. Studies were submitted on the impact of the port on the ecology, natural resources and livelihood of people of the region.
In September 1998, the Authority passed a landmark order that declared a port in Vadhavan, Dahanu "illegal and wholly impermissible". It stated that the coastline of Dahanu was a declared CRZ-1 zone and large scale construction could not be permitted there. Moreover the order categorically stated that Regional Plan of Dahanu had no provisions for a port of this scale and nature, and could not be altered to accommodate one.
Additionally as per the Dahanu Notification of 1991 that declared Dahanu ecologically fragile, the total industrial area was restricted to 500 acres. A 2.4 $ billion port project with its back up infrastructure capable of eventually handling 300 million tones of cargo would definitely be prohibited under this notification.
However disgruntled with this order, the Maharashtra Maritime Board filed a revision petition in March 1999 before the Ministry of Environment and Forests seeking that the Authority's order be revoked for several reasons, one of them being that the port could not be classified as an industry
In response to the petition, the Ministry's stated in September 1999, that it had no appellate powers to exercise jurisdiction over the Authority's orders. In spite of the Ministry holding up the Authority's decision as final and binding, the MMB pursued the matter and filed a writ petition in the Mumbai High Court in June 2002.
However it was only recently in February 2006 that they finally admitted the matter and a preliminary hearing was held. The case is soon expected to come up for hearing in the Mumbai High Court.
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