There have been 76 major coal ash pond accidents across the country in the last 10 years, according to a study carried out by the Health Energy Initiative India and the Community Environmental Monitoring.
Besides deaths and loss of property, the accidents also resulted in extensive pollution of nearby water resources, air and soil, the study notes.
The study, titled “Coal Ash in India – A compendium of Disasters, Environmental and Health Risks”, reports that Jharsusguda in Odisha has had six major coal fly-ash accidents from various power plants since 2010. Among other places in Odisha, it states Sambalpur has had four such accidents, Talcher three, Rourkela, Angul, Dhenkanal and Khaliapali have had one accident each.
