18 Sep 2012
Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)Rajesh Moudgil
HT had, on September 15, reported the impending danger that filled ash dykes posed to crops.
Looming threat is real now
Khedar thermal plant unit shut after breach of water from two dykes
CHANDIGARH: One of t he two units of the Khedar thermal power plant, Hisar, had to be shut down on early Monday morning, after water from the two ash dykes (embankments) overflowed in nearby areas of 60 acres, causing damage to crops.

Hindustan Times had, on September 15, reported about the impending danger that the filled ash dykes posed to crops.

Tempers ran high as a large number of villagers with ‘lathis’ in their hands, cornered Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd (HPGCL) officials, for what they said, had happened despite their repeated requests and cautions to protect their crops against the looming danger.

Villagers said they had apprehended such a situation earlier two months back and had even submitted written complaints to the HPGCL authorities last month, but all in vain.
Filled to capacity for the past over three months, the two ash dykes at the power plant had been facing the threat of a breach and possible overflow of water that would damage crops in nearby villages.

Sources in the HP GCL said the ash content in water released in the dykes had been much more than the normal level of 20%, leading to the complete filling of ash dyke ponds. The two ash dyke ponds had thus reached their upper limit in less than three years against the normal period of about 20 years. The two dykes spread over 150 acres with 7 metres in height were designed for 20% ash disposal, but these days, the dykes were taking in much more load, sources said, adding that the slurry inflow with high ash content led to a critical situation.

HPGCL managing director Anurag Aggarwal admitted that water overflowed from the dykes. He, however, said the HPGCL acted in time and shutdown one of the units to stop the water overflow into fields. “I will visit Khedar on Tuesday to take stock of the situation,” he said, adding that the public works department (buildings and roads) would start lifting ash from Tuesday.

Meanwhile, two units of the Panipat power plant which were shutdown for want of demand have now started to function to make up for the loss in power generation because of the shutdown of the Khedar unit.