Environmental Issues of Thermal Power Generation and its Control Measures

Coal dominates the country’s economy accounting for meeting more than 50% of the commercial energy requirement in India. Since industrialization started and further expansion took place the demand for energy has increased three fold especially during last two decades. Environmental problems existent in our society can be traced back to the use of energy in one way or the other. Our environment is under tremendous pressure due to ever-increasing urbanization and population growth. Major portion of the electricity generated in our country is coal-based. There is a huge reserve of coal in our country. Coal is very easily and cheaply available and so used extensively for thermal power generation. This paper is an attempt to address almost all the environmental issues i.e. impacts on air, water, soil, land use pattern and aesthetic of the area, attached with the thermal power station at one platform and also make the people, directly or indirectly associated with these thermal power stations, aware of the various issues. Some control measures for the impacts have also been presented from safety point of vie