HIGHLIGHTS:
- NGT has directed to establish a ‘Fly Ash Management and Utilization Mission’
- It took note of the drainage of industrial effluents and fly ash in the Rihand Reservoir.
- Mission’s goal is to keep track of the annual stockpile of unutilized fly ash.
What is in the News?
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed to establish a ‘Fly Ash Management and Utilization Mission’.
Mission to Manage and Utilize Fly Ash
The mission’s goal is to keep track of the annual stockpile of unutilized fly ash. It will also consider how to use 1,670 million tonnes of legacy (accumulated) fly ash in the safest possible way. The mission will also look into how power plants can take the necessary safety precautions.
The very first meeting
Within a month, the Fly Ash Management Mission will convene its first conference to review the quality of fly ash management in coal power plants. It will also develop action plans for creating ash utilization road maps for specific plants. Meetings will be held once a month for a year as part of the mission.
Aim of the mission
The Fly Ash Management Mission will be established with the goal of coordinating and monitoring issues with fly ash handling and disposal, as well as other connected issues.
Who will be in charge of the mission?
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and the Union Ministry of Coal and Power will jointly lead the Mission. They would also keep the chief secretaries of the states where the mission is being carried out on board. The Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Food and Climate Change will serve as the nodal agency for compliance and coordination.
What distinguishes this from Fly Ash Notification 2021?
Under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986, the government released the ‘Fly Ash Notification 2021.’ The notification prohibits the dumping and disposal of fly ash from coal-fired thermal power plants into bodies of water or on land. The government had made it mandatory for plants to use ash in an environmentally acceptable manner 100 percent of the time. Non-compliant power stations would be fined Rs 1,000 per tonne of unutilized ash under new rules, which will be applied at the end of each financial year.
