Pejawar seer serves ultimatum on UPCL

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The expert committee appointed to assess the environmental impact on villagers living around the thermal power plant of Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), in Yellur village in Udupi district has given the thumbs down for the company to operate.

The committee had submitted the report to the Pejawar seer, Sri Vishwesha Theertha Swami. Based on the report, the seer told the government that the company should either decontaminate the region or shut its doors.

The final report made available to Deccan Chronicle lists a series of irregularities and environmental degradations caused by the power plant, which is damaging people’s health and livestock.

There are serious lapses in the way in which the company is running the power plant, the report says.
Streams in the vicinity of the power plant have been contaminated with coal mixed effluents, resulting in the increase of ionic concentrations of surface water in nearby water bodies.

This has resulted in declining crop yield and has affected the health of the human and cattle populations in the vicinity (see box).

High levels of salinity, fly ash dust and vaporised heavy metals have been found in the soil. The dust deposited on the flowering parts of crops reduces the population of pollinators such as bees, and this reduced pollination has contributed to the decline in crop yield.

The report is based on a study conducted in Yellur (including Kolachur) and surrounding villages of Nandikur, Nadsal (including Tenka Yermal), Bada, Padebetu, Santhur, Palimar, Karnire and Hejamadi, subsequent to the commissioning of the coal-based thermal power station.

“Since 2010 the region has been experiencing large scale environmental contamination (land, water, air and biotic elements) affecting the livelihood of the local people. The company has thrown all environmental norms to the winds and caused heavy contamination and environmental degradation in the region,” said Dr T. V. Ramachandra of the Indian Institute of Science, who on the committee.

Dr M. K. Ramakrishna, chairman of Bio Diesel Task Force is on the six-member expert committee constituted by the government to assess the impact the thermal power plant.

Differences in the committee led to the dropping of two of the members, but they continued with the report and submitted it to the Pejawar seer recently.