Environmental Stress and Health Vulnerability Assessment around Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant, West Bengal

Abstract

One of the 17 types of severely polluting sectors in the nation is thermal power plants which exert pressure upon the environment and health aspects in several ways e.g. creating thermal, air, and water pollution, exacerbating physiological acute and chronic responses, and affecting the subjective wellbeing of an individual residing proximal to the source. Situated on the right bank of the Rupnarayan river, Kolaghat thermal power plant is one of the major power generating plants of West Bengal, which is also producing 7500-8000 metric tons of fly ash every day but having only 325 acres of land for its disposal. Hence the plant has been exerting pressure upon the surrounding environment since its establishment and growth between 1980-1985. This study is to evaluate the overall impact of thermal power plants on the local environment and public health using a composite index that incorporates environmental and health dimensions i.e. Air quality index, drinking water quality index, land surface temperature, social parameters, Non–communicable disease rate, etc. The study reveals the local-level impact of air pollution and the impact of fly ash emissions. Nandakumar, Tamluk, and Kolaghat have been identified as blocks under stress. The workers of the plant have reported undesirable thermal and ambient air quality conditions within the battery limit, with the prevalence of skin problems, allergies, and fatigue among them. Site-specific plantation and phytoremediation techniques with the use of riparian buffers have been recommended.

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Environmental Stress and Health Vulnerability Assessment around
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IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1164 (2023) 012012
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doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1164/1/012012
1
Environmental Stress and Health Vulnerability Assessment
around Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant, West Bengal
S Chatterjee1*, A Rai1, S Hazra1
1Department of Geography, Adamas University, Kolkata, India.
*Corresponding author Email: suman.chatterjee27@yahoo.in
Abstract. One of the seventeen types of severely polluting sectors in the nation is thermal
power plants which exert pressure upon the environment and health aspects in several ways
e.g. creating thermal, air, and water pollution, exacerbating physiological acute and chronic
responses, and affecting the subjective wellbeing of an individual residing proximal to the
source. Situated on the right bank of the Rupnarayan river, Kolaghat thermal power plant is
one of the major power generating plants of West Bengal, which is also producing 7500-8000
metric tons of fly ash every day but having only 325 acres of land for its disposal. Hence the
plant has been exerting pressure upon the surrounding environment since its establishment and
growth between 1980-1985. This study is to evaluate the overall impact of thermal power
plants on the local environment and public health using a composite index that incorporates
environmental and health dimensions i.e. Air quality index, drinking water quality index, land
surface temperature, social parameters, Non–communicable disease rate, etc. The study reveals
the local-level impact of air pollution and the impact of fly ash emissions. Nandakumar,
Tamluk, and Kolaghat have been identified as blocks under stress. The workers of the plant
have reported undesirable thermal and ambient air quality conditions within the battery limit,
with the prevalence of skin problems, allergies, and fatigue among them. Site-specific
plantation and phytoremediation techniques with the use of riparian buffers have been
recommended.
Key Words: Thermal Power Plants, Environmental Stressors, Health Risk, Stress Index.
1. Introduction
Some major concerns for achieving sustainability determined in the literatures are conservation of
forests, preventing desertification, land degradation, and biodiversity loss, increasing attention to air
quality, municipal and other waste management, minimizing the adverse environmental consequences
of cities per capita, protecting public health and wellbeing against hazardous chemical release in the
air, water, and soil, have received special attention. These concerns have been fortified through
Sustainable Development Goals 3, 15 and 11 [1–3].
Over the years, thermal energy has grown into India's main power source and this trend seems to
continue. India is the world's third-largest producer and consumer of electricity [4]. In India, more
than 70% of the electrical power comes from thermal power plants [5].The environmental effects of
thermal power generation have become an important topic of concern. The change of the occupied
land began to have a detrimental impact on the local ecosystem and environment. With the
establishment of power plants and during the operation, local surface water bodies may receive plant’s
wastewater, affecting water quality, and ambient air may receive greenhouse gases, other pollutants,

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particulate matter, ashes, and radionuclide, all of which can exert pressure on the local environment
and public health, as well as the global climate[6].
As a consequence of leaching, volatilization, melting, decomposition, oxidation, hydration, and
other chemical processes, certain pollutants such as CO2, SO2, NO2, particulate matter (PM), and
heavy metals are released into air and water, causing significant environmental and health effects.
CO2, NO2, SO2, Particulate Matter, and certain heavy metal pollution have all been linked to a
variety of health issues. CO2 is a key contributor to climate change as well as certain severe illnesses
such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases COPD, and lung cancer. SO2 is not only hazardous
to organisms, and produces acid rain, but it also causes a variety of illnesses e.g. heart arrhythmia,
skin cancer, asthma, cough, headache, throat, and nose irritations. Another significant pollutant
emitted by coal-fired power plants is NO2, which causes hypoxic respiratory failure in neonates due to
chronic pulmonary hypertension (PPHN).PM together with CO2, SO2 and NO2 do serious damage to
the environment as well as to human health. Heavy metals released during coal burning can also cause
skin and lung cancer, cardiovascular conditions, stomach discomfort, gene mutations, leukaemia, and
deadly comas [7].
The majority of the power plants in West Bengal use thermal coal as fuel, e.g. Damodar Valley
Corporation (DVC), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), and West Bengal Power
Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL) are the organizations engaged in coal-based power
generation. The government of India plans to shut all units of thermal power plants, which are above
25 years old and are producing 11-mw or more fly ash every year [8]. Kolaghat thermal power station
was established during India’s sixth five-year plan (1980-85) and emerged as the second highest
power generating plant in West Bengal. The plant is operating with total six units and having six ash
ponds for damping the ashes. The coal type used in the thermal power plant at Kolaghat, like
bituminous charcoal, is quite poor and generates a lot of ash. According to a recent report, Kalaghat
Thermal Power Plant produces 1,74,577 metric ton of ashes from 401,603 metric ton of coal (Jan,
2016). Once the fly ash is collected from the base of the boiler and using the fabric bay filters, the ash
has been combined with water and transported to the six ash ponds located around 4-5 kilometres
south of the thermal power plant Kolaghat. During the monsoons, the ponds flood and pollute the
surrounding areas. The most impacted villages are Dakhin-rakhashachak, Andulia, and Bonmecheda
[9].
Several studies have assessed the environmental stress of K.T.P.P upon the local environment.
These studies mostly focus on fly ash emissions affecting, surrounding natural vegetation, the
wellbeing of the nearby inhabitants, degrading air quality, altering physical and chemical properties of
water and soil [9–12]. Studies are conducted on the adverse effects of the continuous discharge of
wastewater and deposition of fly ash on the Rupnarayan river and found deteriorating effects on water
quality and aquatic lives [13]. Fly ash is gradually accumulating at the bottom of the river and rapidly
reducing the depth of the river. Jena (1993) explored that the fly ash from Thermal power plants is
changing soil upper layer structure, PH level, soil fertility [14]. According to studies, the amount of
metals like zinc, copper, magnesium, and iron in fly ash from thermal power plants increases with the
proximity of the source and decreases with distance [15]. By studying the literature, the research gaps
have been identified as the following: Numerous pieces of research have mostly focused on the effects
of only one environmental stressor, such as fly ash or radionuclide, with one environmental media of
concern, such as groundwater, ambient air quality, soil, or river sediments. It is also necessary to
compare the contribution of many environmental stressors i.e. heat, air pollutants, water contaminants,
etc. overall environmental and health stress in order to pinpoint the stressor of concern.
The goal of this study is to evaluate the overall impact of thermal power plants on the local
environment and public health using a composite index that incorporates environmental and health
dimensions. The study incorporates the parameters of environment i.e. Air quality index, drinking
water quality index, land surface temperature, non–communicable disease rate etc. The study
furthermore compares the contributions of the above mentioned environmental stressors. On this basis
we have estimated environmental and health vulnerability using a composite index. Moreover,
subjective assessment of inhabitant’s environmental and health perceptions and occupational health
has been conducted within the study. The study's findings will aid in the accurate depiction of the

Geospatial Science for Digital Earth Observation (GSDEO 2021)
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existing situation in the region, assisting in the identification of areas and stressor of concern and
suggesting mitigating actions based on the current evaluation.
2. Study Area
K.T.P.P is one of West Bengal's leading thermal power plants. It is situated at Mecheda, approx. 55
km from Kolkata (Latitude 22°25'52' 'W and Longitude 87°52'30' E) in the district of Purba
Medinipur. The river Rupnarayana flows to the right side of this plant. It is connected with the south
Eastern railway [9]. Firstly, a 15 km buffer area has been created around Kalaghat Thermal Power
Point. Then all the administrative blocks that fall under that buffer area are taken as study areas. The
Study area is located on the right bank of Rupnarayan River. Left bank of the river is an extended part
of the urbanised area of Howrah. The river also works as the physical barrier. Hence the blocks on the
left bank have not been incorporated as the study area. The study area consists of eight blocks on the
right bank of the river i.e. Moyna, Panskura I, Daspur II, Tamluk, Kolaghat, Daspur I, Sahid
Matangini and Nanda Kumar (figure 1).
Figure 1. Location Map of Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant and surrounding blocks
3. Data Collection
All the data for the objective assessment has been obtained from the secondary sources. Following
table provide details and sources of the respective data (table 1).

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Table 1. Sources and details of the Data
Data Type
Details
Source
Land Surface
Temperature
Landsat 8 (OLI)acquired
on 1st march 2019
https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/
Ground water quality
Ground Water Year Book
of West Bengal &
Andaman & Nicobar
Islands (2019-2020):
April/May (2019-20). And
from Water quality
information system
(WBPCB)
http://cgwb.gov.in/
http://emis.wbpcb.gov.in/
Air Quality
Ambient Air Quality
Monitoring Data For The
Year 2019
http://www.cpcbenvis.nic.in/air_quality_data.html
Non-communicable
diseases, IPD and
OPD
Health Management
Information System 3
years data (2019 -2020,
2018 – 2019, 2017 – 2018)
https://nrhm-mis.nic.in/
4. Methodology
This paper aims to incorporate several environmental stressors and to build a single index for
depicting the overall stress due to the thermal power plant’s activities. These individual stressors have
been selected subjectively based on their potential hampering environmental health and wellbeing. We
have selected Air quality, Land surface temperature, drinking water quality, and non-communicable
diseases status. The study also included a subjective assessment of residents' environmental and health
perceptions, as well as occupational health in K.T.P.P. In the following section, we have discussed the
selection, interpretation ad estimation of these stressors.
4.1. Environmental Stress and its dimensions
Environmental stress is known as environmental event-forcing processes that influence an organism's
existence and well-being and counteract organism activity. These stressors restrict the ecosystem’s
production, reproductive potential, and the sustainability of the ecosystem, and affect populations and
communities of organisms and ecoscapes. [16]. Over time, the variety and complexities of these
stressors have proliferated due to the growth of population and environmental exploitations [17,18].
Multiple stressors, such as organic pollution, thermal stress, and salinity alteration, are inducing
significant and irreversible changes in coastal aquatic ecosystems as a consequence of anthropogenic
activities e.g. urbanization, Industrialization, agriculture, fishing, coastal development, and
anthropogenically induced global climate change [17]. Biological processes are disrupted, ecosystem
functions are altered, and global and local biodiversity is decreased as a result of such stresses. In this
study we have selected some prominent stressors to environment and people’s health i.e. Ambient air
quality, Ground water quality, Land Surface Temperature, and non-communicable diseases rate. All
these dimensions have been aggregated to finally obtain the vulnerability and stress index.
4.2. Ambient air quality
Air pollution has been identified as one of the important environmental stressor in the literature of
several environmental and public health researches. Poor ambient air quality not only has detrimental
effects upon physical and mental health of a human but also upon other biotic and abiotic components
of the environment and further aggravating the stress. To represent air quality, we have used air

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quality index. The air quality index is a single numerical number that indicates various parameters at
the same time, making it simple to analyze and comprehend. The USEPA formed the AQI in 1976 as
a way of communication between the public and government. Later, a number of other government
bodies adopted and improved the approach. The National Air Quality Index established by India's
Central Pollution Control Board is utilized in this work. The index is computed in two steps:
calculating sub-indices of each parameter and aggregation of the sub-indices using CPCB's national
ambient air quality standards. Weighted Additive, Root-Sum-Power, Root-Mean-Square, Min-Max
Operator, and so forth are used for aggregation. Finally, a table is used to interpret the AQI results.
Three key air performance indicators that are available at all of the sample locations have been
chosen. These values are SO2, NO2, and PM10, all measured in g/m3. These parameters are the most
important parameters for air quality assessment found in the previous studies.
4.3. Land surface temperature (LST)
Heat stress has been explored in the past as an environmental threat that can affect people's
productivity, health, and even existence. Heat stress not only has an impact on human health, but it is
also a key contributor to crop failure, drought start and intensification, vegetative health degradation,
and agricultural droughts[18,19]. Climate change is likely to increase the number of hot days and the
incidence of heatwaves, resulting in heat-related health effects and death. Efforts to quantify human
heat stress use various thermal stress indices, which are generally evaluated in continuous space using
remote sensing technology[20].Land surface temperature model has been obtained from Landsat 8
OLI acquired on 1st march 2019 using following steps (figure 2). The Bands has been first processed
for atmospheric correction before the calculation of LST.
Figure 2. Methodology adopted for retrieving Land Surface Temperature [21]
4.4. Ground water/ Drinking water quality
Groundwater is one of the most valuable natural resources and it is widely utilized in India for
drinking, household consumption, and agricultural uses. Access to clean drinking water is a basic
human requirement. Contaminated surface water, industrial wastewater, household wastewater, and
agricultural pollutants can pollute underground water. Untreated groundwater may harm human health
directly. The water quality index (WQI) simplifies water parameters to an exclusive value to measure
comprehensive water quality at a specific site and was developed to determine whether water samples
are safe to drink.
In the current study, WQI has been computed in three phases utilizing the selected parameters i.e.
PH, EC, Hardness, CA, Mg, Na, Alkanity, Cl, No3, So4, F, and TDS. We have used a weighted
arithmetic water quality index technique for our investigation since it is simple and requires minimal
data[22,23].
Calculation of
TOA
TOA to Brightness
Temperature
conversion
Calculate the
NDVI
Calculate the
proportion of
vegetation Pv
Calculate
Emissivity ε
Calculate the Land
Surface
Temperature

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4.5. Non-communicable diseases status
Diseases or disabilities are the result of a combination of environmental exposure, genetic factors, and
behavioural variables or one's lifestyle. Industrial inorganic pollution is directly related to
environmental factors and mostly associated with pollutants rather with pathogens, hence the status of
non-communicable diseases can be considered as the stress upon environment and health induced by
Industrial pollution. This study emphasizes upon the impact of KTTP hence we have assessed the
following non-communicable diseases.
 Respiratory (Asthma, COPD, Emphysema etc).
 Cardiovascular: Blood pressure and Heart related
 Gastrointestinal: Dyspepsia, IBS, Gastritis etc.
 Diabetes
 Neurological
 Allergic (rhinitis, asthma, skin or other)
 Skin related
 Cancer
 Psychological
To normalize the diseases cases with the population we have estimated diseases rate using total
number of in and outpatient with the total non-communicable diseases cases. Finally, the non-
communicable diseases rate has been estimated by averaging the normalised diseases cases for the
years 2017–2018, 2018–2019, 2019–2020.
4.6. Normalization and Aggregation of the sub-indices
Because each variable in this research i.e. Ground Water Quality, Land Surface Temperature, Air
Quality Index, Non- communicable disease has a distinct unit, they must all be brought into a
consistent range (0-1) before they can be combined and this is referred to as normalisation [equation
(1)].
  󰇛  󰇜󰇛  󰇜(1)
Yn = Normalized sub-indices, Y = Raw value of the sub-indices, YMax = Maximum value of Y,
Minimum Value of Y
They have been put together after calculating the normalised values of each of the sub-indices using
weighted mean [equation (2)]. Weights for each sub-indices has been subjectively determined by the
author.


 



(2)
4.7. Subjective Assessment: perception and occupational health
Environmental and health perception of the inhabitants and the workers of the KTTP have been
assessed using questionnaire survey. Perception study of the inhabitants residing within the extent of
the study area has been divided into two parts i.e. perception and valuation of the inhabitants.
Perception study has been structured with likert scale questionnaires and valuation study has been
constructed using willing to Pay (WTP) or Contingency Valuation method (CVM). Opinion data of
the workers has been collated with likert scale. Behavioural and attribute data has been collated using
dichotomous and open-ended questions. All the questionnaires have been prepared after rigorous
literature survey and after testing for validity and reliability i.e. face validity and content validity,
Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient test for reliability. We have performed non-parametric Kendal tau
correlation to explore the relationship between "distance from the industry and air quality perceptions;
water quality perceptions; people’s income and their valuation, people's education and valuation. For
calculating the environmental stress, we have selected four dimensions e.g. Ground water quality,
Landsat Temperature, Air Quality, Non-Communicable Disease.

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5. Result
The thermal condition indicates a gradual increase in temperature towards the west, especially towards
Daspur I and II, Pasnkura I, and Kolaghat Blocks. The maximum and temperatures have been
recorded in the area as 39°c in Paskura I block and a minimum of 27°c in the Nandakumar block
respectively. Although local effects can be seen, it is limited to the vicinity of the plants. Hence, the
majority of the heat stress cannot be attributed to the Thermal plant. The temperature recorded in the
Thermal plant is 37.72°c which is gradually decreasing towards the surrounding area.
The Air Quality Index value in the study area ranges between 132 to 95 meaning the study area
exhibits moderately polluted to satisfactory air. The air quality is getting better from the east to the
west direction in the study area i.e. moderately polluted air quality can be observed near K.T.P.P. and
it is getting better (figure 3). Hence, the influence of K.T.P.P on ambient air quality is recognizable.
Blocks with better air quality were identified as the blocks having higher LST e.g. Daspur I, Paskura I,
Moyna, and Nandakumar. Blocks of polluted air were identified as Kolaghat, Sahid Mathangini, and
Daspur II. Groundwater quality in the area was found to be satisfactory i.e. <50. Spatial patterns of
groundwater quality were found to be abrupt in the area, the northern part of the plant was observed to
have a higher value of GQI indicating comparatively poor water quality. Sahid matangini block is
observed to exhibit the best water quality and Kolaghat block has the highest GQI values (figure 4).
Likewise, groundwater quality and non-communicable diseases rate also don’t exhibit consistent
spatial patterns nor any spatial association with the thermal plant. The highest NCD rate observed was
74% in Nanda Kumar, followed by Tamluk at 63%, Daspur-I having 13.2%, and Kolaghat with
having NCD rate of 10. 41%.
Ergonomic risks identified among K.T.P.P’s workers are electrical shocks, injuries from falls,
lifting and handling machinery. In addition, skin diseases and allergies are common among the
workers too. The majority of the workers have reported poor air and thermal conditions inside the
plant and within the battery limit. Some reported soil pollution in the vicinity of the ash pond area.
The calculated vulnerability index score depicts a comprehensive picture of the region's stress level
in terms of thermal stress, air quality, ground water quality, and the rate of non-communicable
diseases. As per the index, Nanda Kumar, Tamluk, and Kolaghat blocks are under maximum stress
and least stress identified in Sahid Matangini, Moyna, and Panskura I blocks (figure 5). However, air
quality dominated the Index in terms of contribution compared to other sub-indices (figure 6).
Table 2. Correlation with Distance from K.T.P.P and Air, Water Quality Index
Distance from K.T.P.P and Air Quality
Correlation Coefficient
Sig. (2-tailed)
Kendall's tau_b
-.436**
0
Spearman's rho
-.547**
0
Distance from K.T.P.P and WQI
Correlation Coefficient
Sig. (2-tailed)
Kendall's tau_b
-.216*
.033
Spearman's rho
-.307*
.024
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). N = 54
Source: Primary field survey, 2021

Geospatial Science for Digital Earth Observation (GSDEO 2021)
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Figure 5. Environmental Health and vulnerability Index around K.T.P.P.
Figure 3. Spatial pattern of annual average
air quality index (2019) around K.T.P.P.
Figure 4. Spatial pattern of annual average
Groundwater Quality index (2019) around
K.T.P.P

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Results of subjective assessment reveal a statistically significant negative correlation between
distance from K.T.P.P and Air Quality Index (table 2) indicating the impact of K.T.P.P upon ambient
air quality. However, no significant correlation was found between distance from the plant and water
quality and non-communicable diseases. In addition, inhabitants have reported seasonal (mostly in
winter) fly ash deposition over many surfaces e.g., rooftop, yard, top of cars, etc. residing near the
plants. A strong significant positive correlation has been observed between people’s income level and
their environment valuations, however, no significant correlation is found between people’s education
level and environmental valuations. The most common disease around thermal power plants reported
by the inhabitants are skin problems, allergies, and eye irritation.
Figure 6. Contribution of Sub-indices in Environmental Health and vulnerability Indexaround
K.T.P.P.
However, workers have reported regular operations and maintenance of pollution control systems
installed in the plants. The plant was operational amid pandemic by following all safety rules and
guidelines of Covid 19 i.e. social distancing, proper sanitizations, use of masks, and quarantining
infected people. Approximately 20 % of the employees got affected by the Covid between March
2020to February 2021. Skin allergies and eye irritation affect the majority of people, according to

Geospatial Science for Digital Earth Observation (GSDEO 2021)
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perception surveys. Fatigue was reported by 18 percent of workers, while Respiratory Allergies and
Irregular Heart Beats were reported by 11 percent of workers. Only a few workers are affected by any
reportable ailment, such as a lung issue or high blood pressure.
Table3.Relation of Non-communicable Disease with Distance from the K.T.P.P
Distance
NCD
Kendall's tau_b
Distance
Correlation Coefficient
1.000
-.184
Sig. (2-tailed)
.
.062
N
54
54
NCD
Correlation Coefficient
-.184
1.000
Sig. (2-tailed)
.062
.
N
54
54
Spearman's rho
Distance
Correlation Coefficient
1.000
-.257
Sig. (2-tailed)
.
.061
N
54
54
NCD
Correlation Coefficient
-.257
1.000
Sig. (2-tailed)
.061
.
N
54
54
Source: Primary field survey, 2021
6. Conclusion and Recommendations
The study suggests that the impact of the thermal plant is mostly limited to its vicinity and its impact
cannot be observed on a larger scale. The most prominent influence in both subjective and objective
assessments has been identified as fly ash emissions and air pollution. Although the association
between non-communicable disease rates and industrial emission has not been found, poor thermal
and ambient air quality conditions are indicated by the workers of the plant.
In addition, perception studies reported the prevalence of skin problems, allergies, and fatigue
among workers. Based on these conclusions the following recommendations have been suggested.
Since ash ponds have been identified as one of the primary causes of air, water, and soil pollution,
they should be surrounded by green belts to reduce the negative impacts of the ashes in the air, water,
and soil. The area lacks a stipulated amount of greenery as per the Ministry of Environment & Forests
Environmental Impact Assessment Division i.e. 50 to 100m and consists of at least 3 tiers around
plant boundary with a tree density of 2000 to 2500 trees per ha with a good survival rate of around
80%, shall be submitted. Over and above the green belt around the plant boundary, a green belt shall
be developed around the ash pond [24]. We have suggested creating the necessary green belt by also
incorporating phytoremediation plants. Suitable locations for green belts with phytoremediation plants
have been suggested after assessing the locations of the ash ponds and the land use pattern in the
surrounding areas.
To mitigate the harmful effects of the Ash ponds following recommendations have been suggested.
1. Creating 50 feet wide riparian buffer on both sides of the northern canal working as Hydraulic
barrier for abating contamination from the ash ponds to the adjacent canal.
2. Finding out the suitable sites for phytoremediation within a 500meter battery limit by analyzing the
land use pattern of the area.
Furthermore, we have suggested the region-specific phytoremediation techniques i.e. incorporating
Phyto remedial plants for the proposed green belt and the riparian buffer (figure 7). For controlling of
fly ashes that creates pollution in the environment by phytoremediation and plantations is required.

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Figure 7. Suitable sites for plantations and phytoremediation around K.T.P.P
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