16 Jul 2019
Madhya Pradesh: What It’s Like To Live Next To Power Plants
Residents of Singrauli talk about coal dust and how it's ruining their lives. Is it time for India to switch from Coal?

Singrauli, located in Madhya Pradesh is also known as the power hub of India. In this story, residents talk about coal dust and how it’s ruining their lives. But there’s a solution – what could it be? Is it time for India to switch from Coal?

This is a story of a small village called Dagaa in Singrauli district, located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh where more than 4000 families of nearby 20 villages are affected from dumping of coal.

Coal dust is a fine powdered form of coal, which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal.

Singrauli is known as the power hub of India. It’s hard to believe nearly 72% of India’s electricity still comes from Coal-fired plants. Coal not only causes health problem but it also considered a main contributor to climate disruption. From the process mining to transportation, these coal plants generate something called coal dust and people in this village are facing liveability and health issues because of it.

A local resident from Singrauli said, “Coal is falling in food and everywhere. There are black particles in food and water. This is my home. Where else should I go?”

A local expert Ekta Shekar from the climate agenda told us, “When a company chooses an area for coal mining, before that the area should be vacated and there be no one within a few meter. Similarly, if a coal yard is being made somewhere, there should be no person or village near it. It would be better if the coal hard is shifted to the area where coal mining is happening.”

Another local resident, Sanjay namdev said that because of coal dust, crops are not growing. There are just coal layers deposited on the ground. Coal dust and dust from fly ash are causing serious diseases . There are no precautions taken from the authorities’ side. Keeping all the rules aside, the loading and unloading of coal is going on.”

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