BENGALURU: A recent report released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which studied 200 thermal power plants (TPPs), revealed that Karnataka’s seven TPPs produced 6.69 million tonnes (MT) of fly ash in 2021-2022. The state also generated 9.5 GW of electricity through these plants.
Of the total 6.69 MT of fly ash, only 5.4 million tonnes were used for different projects like the cement industry, manufacturing bricks, blocks, tiles, highways roads and flyovers, the report showed.
Karnataka stood 13th among 17 states, using 81.27% of fly ash, with Haryana, which has five TPPs, topping the list with 264.82%.
KSPCB report for 2019-2020 showed that 11,796.4 MT of fly ash was unutilized from 20 coal and lignite-based power plants in Karnataka. Around 76,95,206 MT of 77,07,002.2 MT of fly ash generated in 2019-2020 was used while the rest continues to be dumped in landfills or sold in open markets.
Senior Environment Officer (SEO), Yogananda MN, KSPCB, said the board has started collecting data of unutilized ash and mulling what steps can be taken to reuse it. The CPCB report also suggested measures for better utilization of fly ash by building fly ash parks or hubs in PPP mode. The induction of ‘Fly Ash’ as a subject in the academic curriculum of Engineering and Architecture courses was also recommended.