Annexure-I

Annexure-II

Annexure-III

Annexure-IV

Report on Proposed New Ash dyke at Masunihata Village for Talcher Super Thermal Power Station Stage-I (2x500 MW) Kaniha

NTPC Limited (A Government of India Enterprise)

September, 2019

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CONTENTS

Sl No. Page No. 1.0 Introduction 2 2.0 Existing ash handling & disposal system 2 3.0 Constraints in ash Utilization 2 4.0 Details of current Proposal 3 5.0 Assessment of additional land requirements for Proposed 5 Ash Pond 6.0 Space requirements for extended period of service of station 5 Stage # I (2x500 MW) 7.0 Land details and location advantage of Masunihata Village 5 8.0 Baseline environmental conditions 6 9.0 Hydrogeological condition of ash pond area 8 10.0 Ash water recirculation system & seepage water 9 recirculation system 11.0 Impact of construction of proposed new ash dyke and 9 mitigation measures 12.0 Conclusions 10

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1.0 Introduction Talcher Super Thermal Power Station (Talcher STPS) is a coal based pit head thermal power station located in the Kaniha block of Angul District of Odisha State with an installed capacity of 3000 MW. Talcher STPS has Stage-I (2x500 MW) and Stage-II (4x500 MW). The first 500 MW units has started commercial operation in the year 1997 and last Unit-6 in the year 2005. The source of water for the power plant is from Samal barrage reservoir of Brahmani River. The plant is getting coal supply from Lingaraj block of Talcher and from Kaniha Block of Mahanadi coal fields Ltd., transported through Merry-Go-Round (MGR) system, owned and operated by NTPC. Power is evacuated through 400 KV transmission lines to different state e.g. Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal & North Eastern states from Stage-I and all Southern Region States through PGCIL HVDC link from Stage-II. The plant is located between co-ordinates 21o06'24'' N to 21o04'54'' N & 85o05'4'' E to 85o03'38'' E. The coordinates of ash ponds are located between 21o06'03'' N to 21o07'48'' N & 85o00'16'' E to 85o02'29'' E. The nearest railhead is Talcher Railway Station which is at a distance of 30 km from the power plant. NH-55 is passing nearby the plant connecting to Talcher. The nearest Airport is Bhubaneswar which is about 180 Km from the power plant and the nearest sea port Paradip is 226 Km from the power plant. The plant and colony area is located on the right bank of Tikira River and is surrounded by villages Rangabeda, Gadashila, Tolkobeda, Patharamunda and Bhimkand.

2.0 Existing Ash Handling & Disposal System Ash is generated from the combustion of the coal. The coal received for the station contains around 40 % ash. The ash is collected in two parts – Bottom Ash from the Boiler bottom ash hopper and Fly Ash from the ESP Hoppers. In the Ash disposal system, the ash collected from Bottom Ash hopper and ESP Hoppers, is discharged in the form of Ash slurry into the Ash dyke lagoons constructed in the disposal area, by constructing dykes. The ash slurry is allowed to stagnate and most of the ash particle settles to the bottom and almost clear water is collected at the top. The decanted water is drawn out through the weirs located around the water escape tower and through the draw off pipes to overflow lagoon. This water after settlement of fine ash particle is recalculated to plant for reuse. The area of existing ash ponds are 750 acres and 840 acres for Stage-I and Stage-II respectively. Due to constraints in ash utilization, a new ash pond of 148.85 acres is proposed to be constructed on land between existing ash ponds at village Masunihata.

3.0 Constraints in Ash Utilization MOEF&CC Gazette notification dated 03.11.2009 and its amendment, station has to achieve 100% ash utilization every year. Kaniha Station average ash utilization is

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about 41% during last 5 years could be achieved, out of which 39.6 % has been used for dyke construction and remaining 1.5% ash has been used in brick manufacturing/Asbestos/Cement industries. Ash utilization at Kaniha is very low because of its remote geographical location, cluster of power plants and less industrial requirement in the vicinity. Moreover, industrial/ constructional requirement of ash is mostly being met up by other power stations like NALCO, GMR etc. which are located close to NH-42. Even after MOEF&CC permission for mine void filling and accord of Forest clearance, there are other critical issues in laying of ash pipeline from existing power plant to Jagannath Mine voids like land acquisition, compensation, shifting of existing infrastructure, clearance of vegetation etc. and it will take some time to resolve them.

4.0 Details of Current Proposal Due to geographical and other constraints, ash utilization in Talcher STPS is very difficult. Existing ash pond of Stage-I is likely to be exhausted by next two years, i.e. by March, 2021. Therefore a new ash pond is proposed near existing ash ponds at village Masunihata. The total land required for new ash pond will be 148.85 acres (109.14 acres private land and 39.71 acres of NTPC existing land). The break-up of proposed land required for ash pond is as follows. Type of land Area in acres Status of land Government Land 28.94 Land acquired during existing project Forest Land 10.77 Forest Clearance taken during existing project Private land 109.14 Land acquisition under process Total Land 148.85 The total land proposed for new ash pond is about 148.85 acres and is surrounded by Derang Road, existing ash pipelines and Bankhuli Jhor Nalla. The coordinate of proposed ash pond is as below: Details of Points Latitude Longitude A (near Bankhuli Jhor Nalla at North 21o 06' 53'' N 85o 01' 01'' E Direction) B (crossing point of Bankhuli Jhor Nalla & 21o 06' 48'' N 85o 01' 19'' E ash pipeline) C (Crossing point of Derang road & Bankhuli 21o 06' 40'' N 85o 00' 46'' E Jhor Nala) D (Crossing point of Derang road & ash 21o 06' 22'' N 85o 01' 46'' E pipeline)

The vicinity map of the proposed area is presented in Figure-1.

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21  12‘ 30‘‘

21  10‘

Ash Pond Stage-II 21  7‘ 30‘‘ Township

Proposed New Ash Pond Ash Pond Stage-I 21  5‘ Talcher STPS

21  2‘ 30 ‘‘

21  / 84 55' 84 57‘ 30'' 85 85 2‘ 30'' 85 5' 85 7‘ 30''

Figure-1: Vicinity Map of Study Area (10 Km radius) from Proposed Ash Pond

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5.0 Assessment of Additional Land Requirements for Proposed Ash Pond According to the present condition and as per the rolling plan, existing ash pond can cater the requirement of Stage-I & II till March 2021 and March 2023 respectively. The Stage-I dyke was designed for 7th raising on its starter which has been completed in Feb’2017 and now its life span is being extended up to Mar’2021 by means of buttressing of the lagoons having raised by upstream method. However, there is no scope for buttressing in Stage-II, which is designed to raise up to 9th raising on centre line method in which dyke embankment extended outwards. During FR stage of the project it was envisaged that acquired land of 750 acres for ash dykes of Stage-I (2X500MW) would cater for 25 years from COD, i.e. up to 2020-21 and 850 Acre of Stage-II (4 X 500MW) would cater for 25 yrs from COD i.e. up to 2029-30. There is substantial difference between envisaged parameters and stations present parameters with respect to PLF, Ash Content/ Coal quantity etc. because of which faster filling has been going on in the dykes as compared to design. At present coal firing quantity is even going up to 420- 450 MT/Hr against designed rating of 350 MT per/Hr for Stage-I and 335 MT/Hr for Stage-II. The life of Stage-I ash dykes was estimated during FR was 25 years as actual life of 20 years (without buttressing). Similarly, life of Stage-II ash dykes was estimated during FR was 25 years against actual life of 17 years (without buttressing). However, after buttressing the life of these ash ponds can be increased for further 2-3 years.

6.0 Space Requirements for Extended Period of Service of Station STAGE # I (2x500 MW) i) COD was in 1997 ii) Designated life: 25 years i.e. upto 2022 iii) Expansion of service after designated life: 5 years i.e. upto 2027 iv) Availability of present ash dyke after buttressing: March, 2021 v) Ash to be generated from 2021 to 2027: 6 yrs @ 26.50 Lakh CuM for Stage # I = 159 Lakh CuM Say, 160 Lakh CuM.

The proposed area of Masunihata is 148.85 acres. It is envisaged that approx. 25% of the area shall be utilized for pipeline corridor, service road around dyke, green belt, clear water pond with AWRS etc. The clear area left for construction of starter dyke is approx. 75.0 Acre, 1st raisng 64.0 Acre and 2nd raising 54.0 Acres considering the ‘Up Stream Method’ of raising. According preliminary assessment, the area of Masunihata may create space for 45 LM3 of ash which may cater approx. 22 Months by hydraulically filling for Stage # I.

7.0 Land Details and Location Advantage of Masunihata Village The identified area of Masunihata village is of 109.14 acres comprising of Private lands only. Beside this about 39.71 acres of land is already available with NTPC. The land in village Masunihata offers certain definite advantage to NTPC as detailed below:

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 The location is adjacent to existing ash dyke of Stage-II and nearer to main plant location.  Existing infrastructure like ash slurry disposal system, pipe line corridor, electrical system and access road from the plant to ash dyke area will be fully utilised with minor extension.  It is observed that most of the area of the said location is high land, so the earth removed from the area may be used for construction of starter dyke.  The overflow water from the dyke can be pumped out to existing overflow lagoon of the nearest Stage-II dyke by providing a transfer pump. Hence the same AWRS can be utilized for the purpose of transporting the water to the plant area.  The existing dykes as well as the proposed land for new ash dyke are situated in the same side of the Tikira River. Hence no bridge construction for manoeuvring of ash slurry pipe lines is required.  The villagers of Masunihata have expressed their willingness for acquisition of their land without insisting for job in NTPC.

8.0 Baseline Environmental Conditions To ascertain Baseline Environmental conditions in and around proposed new ash pond, a field monitoring in 10 km study area around proposed new ash pond was carried out from November, 2018 to February, 2019 by M/s Centre For Envotech and Management Consultancy Pvt. Ltd., Bhubaneshwar (MOEF&CC approved Laboratory & accredited by NABET for Category ‘A’ Thermal Power projects). The environmental parameters monitored during study period were Ambient Air Quality, Noise, Water Quality (Surface & Ground water) and Soil.

8.1 Ambient Air Quality The ambient air quality was monitored at 08 locations during winter season of 2018- 2019. With regard to the air quality data in the study area, the concentrations of Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) and CO levels are within the NAAQ standards. The various sources of air pollution in the region are industrial, traffic, mining and rural/residential activities. 3 The maximum PM10 value was recorded during winter season 2018-19 is 72.80 g/m at Village Telekabeda and minimum concentrations 41.80 g/m3 at proposed ash 3 pond site respectively. The maximum level (36.50 g/m ) of PM2.5 was observed at 3 Village Telekabeda and minimum level 20.70 g/m at proposed ash pond site. SO2 levels was monitored between 10.30-7.80 g/m3 at Village Telekabeda and Jharabereni & proposed ash pond site. Maximum NOx level 12.10 g/m3 at Telekabeda and minimum level at three locations (Debhuin, Jayapur and proposed ash pond site).

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8.2 Noise Sound Pressure Level (SPL) measurements were measured at 08 locations. The day time noise level have been monitored during 6 am to 10 pm and night time noise level during 10 pm to 6 am at all the locations covered in 10 km radius of the study area. The maximum noise level measured is 54.3 dB(A) at Tharabereni village during day time and 43.5 dB(A) during night time at village Jayapur. Ambient noise levels during day time and night time was observed are well within the National Ambient Noise standards at all locations.

8.3 Water Quality

The water quality in the area covering surface water (08) and ground water (08) samples were collected during winter season of 2018-2019 in the region. Surface Water Quality The summary of Surface water sampling is as below.  The results of surface water sample analysis indicate that the pH value was observed to be in the range of 6.83 to 7.16, which are well within the specified standards of 6.5 to 8.5.  Electrical conductivity of surface water samples was observed to be in the range of 113.5 µS/cm to 169.6 µS/cm.  The dissolved oxygen was observed in the range of 4.8 mg/l to 5.8 mg/l.  The total hardness was found to be in the range of 60 mg/l to 78 mg/l.  The chloride concentration was observed in the range of 9.0 mg/l to 12 mg/l and the sulphates were found to be in the range of 5.2 mg/l to 6.8 mg/l.  Fluoride content was found to be in the range of 0.06 mg/l to 0.37 mg/l.  Heavy metals were found to be below detection limits except Zinc maximum concentrations 0.36 mg/l.

The samples collected for surface water quality parameters like pH, DO, TDS, , BOD, Total Coliforms etc. confirms the criteria for Class ‘C’ of water (Drinking water source after conventional treatment and disinfection) at all locations. Ground Water Quality  The analysis results of ground water samples showed the pH in range of 6.6-7.2 which are with the specified standard limits of 6.5 to 8.5.  Color and turbidity of the samples less than 5 Hazens and 1-5 NTU respectively.  Electrical conductivity of the samples ranged from 498.7-653.2 µS/cm.  The total hardness of the samples ranged from 88-190 mg/l.  Calcium and magnesium concentrations ranged from 23.6-52.1 mg/l and 5.6 -16.8 mg/l respectively.  The total dissolved solids of the samples ranged from 310-406 mg/l.  Range of Chlorides and Sulphates concentrations at all the locations 63-164 mg/l and 22-48 mg/l respectively.  Fluoride concentration ranged from 0.22-0.62 mg/l and is found to be within the permissible limits.  Similarly, Nitrates are also found to be ranging in between 0.82–1.03 mg/l.

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 All other metal concentrations are observed to be below detectable limits except concentration of Zinc observed 0.04-0.27 mg/l (within permissible limits).  The total coliform counts is absent in all the samples against the standard limit of 10 MPN/100 ml.

Based on the above results, it is evident that all of the parameters in ground water fairly meet the desirable standard limits of IS: 10500. The ground water quality in the study area does not indicate any industrial contamination.

8.4 Soil Quality Soil samples were collected at 06 locations and analyzed during the study period of 2018-19. In general, the existing ash pond region of the Kaniha Talcher STPS, consist of flattish region having sandy loam, loamy sand soils. The soil is neutral to slightly alkaline, with average conductivity. A detailed baseline monitoring report for Geology, Air Quality, Water Quality, Noise and Soil is enclosed as Annexure-A.

9.0 Hydrogeological Condition of Area A Hydrogeological Study was also undertaken by NTPC nearby proposed ash pond area by National Institute of Hydrology(NIH), Roorkee in 2017. An Executive Summary of study report is enclosed as Annexure-B. The existing and proposed ash pond of the Talcher STPS are located on the weathered and soil covered Archean schist/gneiss and Gondwana sedimentary rock between two hill ranges, formed by Tikra River. The geospatial technique has been used to delineate the water bodies within the study area. DEM of the study area has been generated using ASTER data. The major River passing from the study area is Brahmani River. The Tikira River which is a major tributary of Brahmani River basin flows through the study area. Other important stream is Olhani River. Both the Rivers forms the small watershed in the West (upstream side) while at downstream side Tikira River meets with Brahmani River near Godhsheela. The drainage pattern is mostly dendritic and occasionally parallel in hills. In the study area during the pre-monsoon (June,2016) and post monsoon (January,2017) periods water level varies from 4.3 m to 13.8 m and 4.5 m to 14.4 m, the water level maximum rises up by more than 1.0 m to 3.1 m and maximum depletion was observed 0.1 m to 3.7 m during post-monsoon. Maximum fluctuation of water level is about 0.1 m to 3.0 m. The main flow direction is towards the River/Stream. All the water samples including groundwater, surface water and ash pond water show alkaline nature and having pH value ranging from 6.08 to 8.07 during pre-monsoon, 6.10 to 8.01 in post-monsoon. The anion chemistry of the analysed samples in both the monitoring periods shows that HCO3-, Cl-, SO42-, NO3- and fluoride (F-) are the dominant anions in water samples during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon. The groundwater and surface water samples follows the abundance order of HCO3->Cl- >SO4-2>NO3->F- in the study area, while the sample from ash pond water follows the

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abundance order of HCO3->SO4-2>Cl->NO3->F-. On critical examination of major and trace metals results, it is observed that their concentration in groundwater and surface water samples not exceeds the permissible limit (BIS 2012). In case of ash pond water, only some samples exceeds the permissible limit at few locations. These soils contain mostly coarse to very coarse sand and occasionally rich in gravels while fine sand silt and clay is very less. In the study area the average value of CEC remains almost uniform (19.7 to 20.21 meq/100gm) during pre-monsoon and post- monsoon and ranging from 11.53 to 27.91 meq/100 gm. The concentrations of heavy metals in soils are far higher than those in water and showed enrichment of metals in these soils. The results from the soil analysis indicates that toxic metals, Arsenic, Cadmium, Molybdenum (7.9 to 93.0 mg/kg) and Mercury (0.2 to 5.8 mg/kg) are in low concentration as compared to Cobalt, Chromium, Lead, Nickel, Zinc and Copper. Among the various heavy metals, B, Mg and Al are dominating in each fly ash, bottom ash and pond. Whereas toxic element like Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, As, Li, Hg are low in concentration ranging from 1.0 to 266.7 ppb in fly ash, 0.3 to 384.3 ppb in bottom ash, 0.1 to 128.6ppb in pond ash. Results of leachate extracts analysed for various metals concentration show that Al, Fe, Mg and B fall under higher rate of leaching while Be, Zn, Cu, Mn are under moderate category.

10.0 Ash Water Recirculation System & Seepage Water Recirculation System In Ash Water Recirculation System (AWRS), the decanted water from ash pond through over flow lagoons is circulated back to the station for further ash slurry formation and pumping the same to ash pond. This helps in reduce fresh water requirements for transportation of ash from the plant. In Seepage Water Recirculation System (SWRS), all toe drain water of ash dyke is collected in to sumps and pumped back thorough seepage water pump house, thereby achieving Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) in to natural streams near the ash dyke. The ash water recirculation system and seepage water recirculation system shall be designed after detail engineering and field study of the area depending upon the distance and gradient.

11.0 Impact of Construction of Proposed New Ash Dyke and Mitigation Measures The total land is about 148.85 acres consisting of 109.14 acres private agriculture land and about 39.71 acres is already under possession of NTPC. The land use of the area acquired shall permanently change to industrial use. The following mitigation measures are proposed to be adopted  Ash water shall be recirculated by Ash Water Recirculation System (AWRS) to main plant for preparing of ash slurry. No additional water would be required for operation of proposed ash pond.  The ground water quality near existing pond does not show any major contamination of ground water. However, suitable lining of impervious material

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like Bentonite with clay shall be used to prevent leaching of heavy metal into ground water.  Sufficient distance of proposed ash pond shall be maintained from Bankhuili Johr Nalla to prevent any contamination. As proposed new ash pond will be located in land between existing ash ponds therefore no natural drainage shall be disturbed and there would be no significant impact on surface water hydrology or availability of water.  Plantation shall be done on all available and feasible spaces.  Water sprinkling shall be done to prevent fugitive emissions.  Beside this, plantation along the Derang road shall be done in consultation with district administration.

12.0 Conclusions The report provides a comprehensive over view of the proposal, constraints in ash utilization, baseline environmental scenario in study area, Hydrogeological conditions of area, assessment of optimum land requirement, possible construction methodologies, and maintenance of ash dykes, impact of proposed ash pond etc. As the proposed land is in between existing ash ponds of Talcher STPS, it will reduce the land resources and energy consumption for ash disposal. The existing ash pond of Talcher STPP, Stage-I will be exhaust within 2 years and in view of constraints in ash utilization, there is urgent requirement of a new ash pond. In view of above and sustainable operation of Talcher STPS to meet the power demand of beneficiary states, a permission for construction of the proposed new ash dyke on 148.85 acres may kindly be considered.

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Annexure-A

Base Line Environmental Data of Study area (10 Km radius) around Proposed Ash Pond of Talcher Super Thermal Power Plant (TSTPP) Stage-I (2x500 MW) & Stage-II (4x500 MW)

1.0 Geology

Angul district represents diverse geological sequence and characterised by varied landforms. Conspicuous physiographic set-up is marked by hills and intervening intermountain valleys, isolated hillocks and flat to gently undulating plains. The important litho-stratigraphic units of the area are rocks of Eastern Ghats of Pre Cambrian age, Iron-ore super group, Gondwana Super group, Laterites to alluvial deposits of Quaternary age. The Gondwana rocks are exposed in the central part of the district covering parts of Talchir, Kaniha, Chendipada and Kishorenagar blocks. The existing and proposed ash pond of the TSTPS are located on the weathered and soil covered Archean schist/gneiss and Gondwana sedimentary rock between two hill ranges, formed by Tikira Nadi (Figure-1).

Figure 1.: Geological Map of Study area (10 km Radius)

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The main rock types of the Archean in this area are granitic gneiss and schist. The area is underlain by Pre-Cambrian crystalline rocks. The major litho-units are formed by highly weathered mica-schists, coarse to fine grained granite, and gneiss, quartzite, amphibolite and pegmatite and do not occur on the mappable scale. Large track of the region is covered by soil/alluvial with poor exposure of the Archean rocks.

Brahmani and Mahanadi are the main river passing through Angul District. Brahamani basin is the largest basin of the district with 68.02% of the total geographical area. The Mahanadi basin with about 32% area of the district is another prominent basin here. The river Mahanadi marks the southern boundary of this district, River Brahmani enters the district through Rengali reservoir and passes through Talcher sub-division. Both these great rivers have innumerable tributaries large and small. Pallahara and Talcher sub-division and major portion of Angul sub-division form a part of the Brahmani basin. The Mahanadi basin is spread over Athamallik and part of Angul sub-divisions. Other small rivers of Angul are mountain streams which are mainly ephemeral in nature (torrents in the rainy season and dry during summer). Their banks in most part are high, their beds rocky and they are not used for navigational purposes. The major part of the total water requirement for domestic, irrigation and industries of the district as well as the study area are met from surface water resources. The district is also dotted with numerous small water bodies which cater to the domestic water needs.

In the study area during the pre-monsoon and post monsoon season (2017) water level maximum fluctuation is about 0.1 m to 3.0 m.

The central part of the district in which the TSTPS Kaniha project area is located is characterized by Undulating plain, though the remaining including the study area (Proposed Ash pond) is characterized by considerably flat country.

2.0 Ambient Air Quality

Ambient Air quality survey has been carried out scientifically based on prevailing guidelines of MOEF&CC and CPCB. The ambient air quality was monitored during November, 2018-Feberuary, 2019 at 08 locations around the proposed new ash pond area. The summary of ambient air quality levels in study area are as given in Table-1. The concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NOx are well with in the NAAQS.

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Table -1 : Ambient Air Quality levels at Study Area Around Proposed New Ash Dyke of Talcher STPS, Kaniha

3 3 3 3 3 Sr. Location PM10 (µg/m ) PM2.5 (µg/m ) SO2 (µg/m ) NO2 (µg/m ) Co (µg/m ) No Min Max Avg 98% Min Max Avg 98% Min Max Avg 98% Min Max Avg 98% Min Max Avg 98% . 1. Project Site 41.80 64.60 55.36 63.99 20.70 32.50 26.14 32.23 7.80 9.70 8.79 9.70 9.10 11.80 9.96 11.60 0.10 0.20 0.15 0.20 2. Beinda 48.10 66.90 58.50 66.49 25.20 33.70 29.40 33.70 8.20 9.70 8.97 9.63 9.20 11.40 10.07 11.26 0.20 0.30 0.25 0.30 3. Balipata 49.40 68.20 58.84 68.13 25.10 34.60 29.87 34.06 8.10 9.80 8.98 9.80 9.30 11.50 10.23 11.43 0.20 0.30 0.25 0.30 4. Bhuinpur 48.80 66.30 56.84 65.62 24.60 33.70 30.05 33.70 8.30 9.90 9.02 9.76 9.30 11.70 10.03 11.56 0.20 0.30 0.25 0.30 5. Jayapur 44.60 62.50 53.89 62.36 22.80 31.40 28.00 31.20 8.00. 9.70 8.91 9.63 9.10 10.50 9.74 10.50 0.10 0.20 0.15 0.20 6. Jharabereni 43.40 60.80 52.29 60.60 21.90 30.60 27.35 30.53 7.80 9.60 8.62 9.60 9.40 11.70 9.90 11.36 0.10 0.20 0.15 0.20 7. Telekabeda 54.60 72.80 64.52 72.53 28.10 36.50 32.73 36.30 8.90 10.30 9.58 10.23 9.50 12.10 10.53 11.96 0.20 0.30 0.25 0.30 8. Debhuin 50.30 69.70 60.31 69.43 25.80 35.10 3.55 34.76 8.40 9.80 9.09 9.73 9.10 11.60 10.11 11.53 0.20 0.30 0.25 0.30

Sampling Period : November-2018 to Feberuary-2019

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3.0 Noise Level Survey

The physical description of sound concerns its loudness as a function of frequency. Noise in general is sound, which is composed of many frequency components of various types of loudness levels distributed over the audible frequency range. The main objective of noise monitoring in the study area is to establish the baseline noise levels, and assess the impact of the total noise expected to be generated by the construction and operation of the proposed ash pond facilities around it. Sound Pressure Level (SPL) measurements were measured at 08 locations. The readings were taken for every hour for 24 hours. The day noise levels have been monitored during 6 am to 10 pm and night levels during 10 pm to 6 am at all the locations covered in 10 km radius of the study area and values are given in Table-2. Table 2 : Ambient Noise Levels in Study Area

S. No. Location Zone Limit in Limit in Day Time Leq Night Time Day time Night time dB(A) Leq dB(A) N-1 Proposed Site Industrial 75 70 51.4 41.2 N-2 Bainda Residential 55 45 53.2 42.1 N-3 Balipata Residential 55 45 53.6 41.4 N-4 Bhuinpur Residential 55 45 52.5 40.4 N-5 Jayapur Residential 55 45 53.4 43.5 N-6 Jharabereni Residential 55 45 54.3 42.8 N-7 Tolokabeda near Industrial 75 70 52.9 42.3 plant N-8 Debhuin Residential 55 45 52.7 41.8 Sampling Period : November-2018 to Feberuary-2019

4.0 Water Quality

Understanding the water quality is essential for Assessment of Impact due to construction of ash pond and to identify critical issues with a view to suggest appropriate mitigation measures for implementation. Selected water quality parameters of surface and ground water resources in the study area have been studied for assessing the water environment and evaluate anticipated impact of the proposed new ash pond. The water quality in the area covering surface water (08) and ground water (08) samples were collected during winter season of 2018-2019 in the region. The surface water quality was monitored at Tikera River (SW1), Aunil River (SW2), Pond near Kakudia (Sw3), Pond near Kansamunda (SW4), Pond near Telisinga (SW5), Pond near Bainda (SW6), Pond near Jharabereni (SW7) and Pond near Ghatianali (SW8). The surface water quality of study area is shown in Table-4. Ground water Quality

Ground water samples were collected from 08 nos. locations during winter season of 2018-2019 in the study area. The locations were Project Site (W1), Badagunduri (W2), Kansamunda (W3), Jamania (W4), Kakudia (W5), Tauka (W6), Guiland (W7), Jharbereni (W8). The detailed analysis of ground water quality of study area is given in Table-3 as below.

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Table-3 : Groundwater Quality in Study Area

Sl. Parameter Unit Standard as per IS: Result No 10500, 2012 Acceptable Permissible W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 Limit Limit 1 Colour Hazen 5 15 <05 06 <05 <05 <05 <05 <05 <05 2 Odour -- AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL 3 Taste -- AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL AL 4 Turbidity NTU 1 5 2 3 2 1 2 4 2 3 5 pH Value @25oC -- 6.5-8.5 No 6.8 7.2 6.6 7.0 6.7 6.9 7.1 6.6 Relaxation 6 Conductivity umhos/cm -- -- 503.8 581.6 498.7 653.2 538.4 572.6 623.1 592.8 7 Total Hardness (as mg/l 200 600 135 162 106 190 119 88 170 94 CaCO3) 8 Iron (as Fe) mg/l 0.3 No 0.27 0.23 0.21 0.35 0.18 0.24 0.16 0.19 Relaxation 9 Chloride (as C1) mg/l 250 1000 63 137 128 164 75 139 116 98 10 Residual, free mg/l 0.2 1.0 ND ND ND ND ND ND ND ND Chlorine 11 Fluoride (as F) mg/l 1.0 1.5 0.39 0.62 0.48 0.34 0.59 0.22 0.43 0.37 12 Total dissolved mg/l 500 2000 312 358 310 406 332 356 387 368 Solids 13 Calcium (as Ca) mg/l 75 200 34.5 37.3 33.3 52.1 31.7 23.6 48.1 25.3 14 Magnesium (as Mg) mg/l 30 100 11.9 16.8 5.6 14.6 9.7 7.0 12.1 7.5 15 Copper (as Cu) mg/l 0.05 1.5 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 16 Manganese (as Mn) mg/l 0.1 0.3 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 17 Sulphate (as SO4) mg/l 200 400 27 36 22 48 22 35 44 38 18 Nitrate (as SO3) mg/l 45 No 0.98 0.85 0.82 1.03 0.98 0.83 0.94 0.97 Relaxation

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19 Phenolic mg/l 0.001 0.002 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 Compounds (as C6H5OH) 20 Mercury (as Hg) mg/l 0.001 No <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 Relaxation 21 Cadmium (as Cd) mg/l 0.003 No <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 Relaxation 22 Arsenic (as As) mg/l 0.01 0.05 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 23 Lead (as Pb) mg/l 0.01 No <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 Relaxation 24 Zinc (as Zn) mg/l 5 15 0.06 0.12 0.17 0.16 <0.08 0.04 0.19 0.27 25 Hexavalent mg/l -- -- <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 Chromium (as Cr+6) 26 Total Alkalinity (as mg/l 200 600 91 65 97 82 68 54 71 85 CaCO3) 27 Boron (as B) mg/l 0.5 1.0 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 28 Total Coliform mg/l Absent in Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent Absent 100 mL Sample Sampling Period: February, 2019

Table-4 : Surface Water Quality in Study Area

Sl. No Parameter Unit Max. Result Tolerance SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6 SW7 SW8 Limit as per IS 2296: Class C 1 Colour, Max Hazen 300 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 2 Odour -- -- Unobj. Unobj. Unobj. Unobj. Unobj. Unobj. Unobj. Unobj. 3 pH Value @ 25oC -- 6.5 to 8.5 7.16 6.83 6.78 7.01 6.97 7.27 7.13 7.05

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Sl. No Parameter Unit Max. Result Tolerance SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6 SW7 SW8 Limit as per IS 2296: Class C 4 Conductivity Umhos/c m -- 142.8 169.6 124.1 134.3 152.7 144.2 113.5 153.3 5 Dissolved Oxygen Min Mg/l 4 5.8 5.6 4.8 5.5 5.4 4.9 4.9 5.2 6 Biological Oxygen Mg/l 3 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.4 2.5 Demand, Max 7 Total Coliform, Max MPN/100 ml 5000 170 210 220 280 170 220 280 240 8 Total Dissolved Solids, Mg/l 1500 92.8 110.2 80.6 87.2 99.2 93.2 78.7 99.6 Max 9 Oil & Grease, Max Mg/l -- <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 <1 10 Phenolic Compounds (as Mg/l 0.005 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 C6H5OH), Max 11 Total Hardness (as Mg/l -- 70 78 64 66 74 72 60 76 CaCO3) 12 Chloride (as CI), Max Mg/l 600 10 12 9 9.6 10.4 10 8.6 10.8 13 Sulphate (as SO4) Max Mg/l 400 6.2 6.8 5.6 5.7 6.4 6.1 5.2 6.5 14 Nitrate (as NO3), Max Mg/l 50 2.3 1.7 1.9 2.2 1.8 2.7 1.6 2.5 15 Fluoride (as F), Max Mg/l 1.5 0.16 0.12 0.09 0.22 0.34 0.18 0.37 0.06 16 Calcium (as Ca) Mg/l -- 19.64 21.8 17.9 18.5 20.7 20.2 16.8 21.3 17 Magnesium (as Mg) Mg/l -- 5.1 5.7 4.67 4.18 18 Copper (as Cu), Max Mg/l 1.5 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 <0.03 19 Iron (as Fe), Max Mg/l 0.5 0.27 0.18 0.23 0.17 0.32 0.15 0.28 0.11 20 Magnesium (as Mg) Mg/l -- <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 <0.02 21 Zinc (as Zn), Max Mg/l 15 0.29 0.35 0.18 0.27 0.41 0.16 0.33 0.36 22 Boron (as B) Mg/l -- <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 <0.2 23 Arsenic (as As) Mg/l 0.2 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 24 Mercury (as Hg) Mg/l -- <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 <0.001 25 Lead (as Pb), Max Mg/l 0.1 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 26 Cadmium (as Cd) Mg/l 0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01 <0.01

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Sl. No Parameter Unit Max. Result Tolerance SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6 SW7 SW8 Limit as per IS 2296: Class C 27 Total Alkalinity (as Mg/l -- 48 50 42 44 50 48 40 50 CaCO3) 28 Hexavalent Chromium Mg/l 0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 <0.05 (as Cr+6) Sampling Period: February, 2019

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5.0 Soil Quality

It is essential to determine the potential of soil in the study area to identify the impacts of existing ash ponds on soil quality and nutrient status and also predict impacts, which may arise due to the existing and proposed ash ponds. Accordingly, a study of assessment of the baseline soil quality as well as primary nutrient status has been carried out. The soil samples were collected from six (06) selected locations during the winter season. The locations are Gundurinali(S1), Kakudia (S2), Bainda (S3), Malapasi (S4), Debhuin (S5), Khajuria (S6). The samples collected from all the locations were homogeneous representatives of each location and results of Soil Quality analysis are given in Table- 5.

Table-5 : Soil Quality in Study Area

Sl. Test Parameters Result No. S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 1 Ph(1:10)M/V at 6.83 7.02 7.29 7.37 6.91 7.32 25degree C 2 Electro 125.6 122.9 203.7 256.7 115.2 113.4 Conductivity at 25 degree C(µS/cm) 3 Sodium 1.69 1.62 3.24 4.62 1.52 1.48 Absorption Ratio 4 Cation Exchange 31.2 32.8 24.3 16.8 29.2 31.6 Capacity meq/100g 5 Sulfates as SO4 IN 16.4 16.1 25.6 27.1 14.1 12.6 mg/kg 6 Nitrate as NO3 in 1.5 1.9 3.4 4 3.2 2.5 mg/kg 7 Nitrogen as N in % 0.05356 0.045112 0.03188 0.06212 0.05072 0.04845 8 Total Phosphorus 8.8 8.2 16.4 19.6 7.6 7.2 as P in mg/kg 9 Calcium as Ca in 22.3 21.8 29.4 32.2 18.8 17.9 mg/kg 10 Sodium (as Na) in 18.1 16.3 27.2 28.5 15.2 13.2 mg/kg 11 Potassium as K in 16.6 16.2 31.4 34.6 14.6 14.1 mg/kg 12 Iron as Fe in 263.2 241.8 804.6 868.9 232.4 230.6 mg/kg 13 Organic Matter in 0.97 0.94 0.51 0.46 0.96 0.92 % Sampling Period: February, 2019

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Annexure-B

Executive Summary of DETAILED HYDRO-GEOLOGICAL STUDY OF ASH POND AREA, TALCHER SUPER THERMAL POWER STATION (TSTPS) KANIHA, DISTRICT ANGUL, ODISHA

Submitted to NTPC, Ltd, TALCHER KANIHA

By NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF HYDROLOGY (An ISO 9001:2008 Institute under MoWR, RD and GR, Govt. of India) ROORKEE – 247667 (UTTARAKHAND) AUGUST 2017 1.0 Background

Coal based power plants generate ash as a byproduct of burning of coal in the furnace. Ash is disposed-off in dry form and wet form. In dry form it is transported to ash silo’s from where it is given to various users such as cement industries, ash brick plant etc. Remaining ash is transported to ash pond in wet form. Due to leaching process, the major ions and trace metals released from ash pond decant into the local surface water bodies and groundwater. Increased concentration of major ions and trace metals above the desirable limit is harmful to the human health as well as to the fisheries and other aquatic biota in the water body. The impacts may be permanent/ temporary, beneficial/ harmful, repairable/ irreparable, and reversible/ irreversible. Therefore, a detailed investigation and regular monitoring of surface and groundwater is required to assess the contamination level.

The Super Thermal Power Station, Kaniha (TSTPS) has capacity of 3000 MW (6x500 MW in Stage-I and II). It has two ash ponds which are currently nearly full. Hence, TSTPS, Kaniha has proposed to build a new ash pond in the nearby area. For detailed hydrogeological investigation in surrounding area of pond, a project entitled “Detail Hydro-geological study of the ash pond area, Talcher Super Thermal Power Station (TSTPS) Kaniha, Angul, Odisha” was awarded to National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee with duration of 1 year upto March 2017 which was extended upto to June 2017. The main objective of the project is to study the hydrogeology characteristics of the area surrounding ash pond in order to assess the impact of construction of ash pond on the hydrology of the study area. The hydrogeological data collected before the construction of ash pond provides the base line data for comparison of any contamination in surface and groundwater due to construction ash pond. It helps to identify the probable area of contamination and accordingly corrective measures can be adopted to minimize any type of pollution in water.

National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) is well equipped with chemistry lab and isotope measurement facilities along with experts in the field of hydrogeology and modeling, who can investigate and predict transportation of contamination in any type of terrain. The tools and facilities available at NIH are being employed to resolve problems related to water quantity and quality in power plants and mining areas all over the country.

2.0 Introduction

The Super Thermal Power Station, Kaniha (TSTPS), located in NW (about 60 Km) of Angul city, has capacity of 3000 MW (6x500 MW in Stage-I and II) and meeting the power demand of many states of the country. The coal for the power plant is sourced from Talcher Coal Field. Source of water for the power plant is from a Barrage, constructed at Samal on Brahmani River. Coal based power plant generates ash as a byproduct of burning of coal in the furnace. Ash is disposed-off in dry form and wet form. In dry form it is transported to ash silo’s from where it is issued to various ash users such as cement industries, ash brick plant etc. Remaining ash is transported to ash pond in wet form. NTPC- Kaniha is presently having two dykes namely (a) Stage-I dyke, (b) Stage-II dyke situated at about 5-8 km from the power station. Each dyke has two Lagoons and one over flow lagoon, these ash dykes includes approximately 1600 acres’ area. The existing ash dykes are nearly full and NTPC Limited (NTPC) has proposed to build a new ash pond in the nearby area. As per the guidelines of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), hydrogeological investigations of the ash pond area should be carried out to assess the impact on surface water and groundwater regime.

3.0 Objectives The main objectives envisage for the present consultancy study are as follows: i. To study the hydro-geology and groundwater characteristics. ii. To monitor the chemical characteristics of surface, groundwater raw water and ash pond effluents from each ash dyke.

iii. To assess the chemical characteristics of natural soil and ash. iv. Simulation and characterization of Leachate. v. To study the impact of construction of Ash pond of TSTPS Kaniha on the hydrology of the study area. vi. To develop a plan for monitoring of surface water systems and groundwater in the study area.

4.0 Scope of Work To achieve the objectives, scope of work shall include:

Surface Water Hydrology: a) Identify the surface water bodies within the study area (10 km radius from the ash pond boundary), and drainage pattern of the study area. b) Delineation of watershed and development of monitoring network of wells, hand pumps, bore wells, for monitoring of groundwater level as well as water quality. c) To identify the available study on surface water quality and current sources of contamination, if any. d) To develop a plan for annual review and monitoring of surface water systems in the study area.

Groundwater Hydrology a. Define the present hydro-geological scenario of the study area through water table contour map. b. To study seasonal fluctuations, direction of flow of groundwater etc. c. Review the available study on groundwater quality and current sources of contamination, if any. d. To develop a monitoring network for annual review and monitoring of groundwater levels and quality permanent/portable piezometers shell be installed, if required. These piezometers shell be used for sampling though groundwater samples may be collected from existing bore wells/ hand pumps of the nearby villages. e. Natural Soil and Pond ash: f. Characterization of natural Soil and Ash (Pond ash, dry fly ash and bottom ash) samples. g. Simulation and characterization of leachates through laboratory test for assessing the interaction of ash water.

5.0 Study Area

The study area is located at Kaniha in Angul district of Odisha. The study area of proposed project boundary (Ash Dyke/Pond) with a buffer radius of 10 Km. of proposed Ash Dyke for NTPC Ltd. Kaniha, lies on survey of India Toposheet No. F45, M16 and F45, N4, is given in Figure 1. The district lying between 20°31' N and 21°40' North latitudes and 84°15' E and 85°23' East longitudes. The total geographical area of the district is 6232 km2. From the point of view of area, it stands 11th among the 30 districts of Orissa. Out of this total area, forests cover 2716.82 km2. Angul, the district headquarters is about 150 kilometers from the state capital Bhubaneswar. Angul is bounded by Dhenkanal and Cuttack district in east, Deogarh, Kendujhar and Sundargarh district in north, Sambalpur and Sonepur in west and Boudh and Nayagarh in the south side. Angul is recognized as an industrial district in the map of Odisha. Steel Plant, Fertilizer Plant, Cement factory, Ferro Vanadium Plant, Machine building factory, Glass and China clay factory and Spinning mills are some of the major industries of this district. The district is abundant with natural resources. Brahmani, Tikira, Sankh, Koel and IB are the major rivers flowing though this district.

Figure 1: Location Map of the study area Kaniha TSTPS, Angul, (Odisha).

TSTPS, NTPC Kaniha (3000 MW) is located in the Kaniha town, which is well connected by road with Angul district headquarters. The site is located north of National Highway (NH-200) The nearest railway stations are Talcher (27 km.) and Angul (60 km.), and the nearest airport are Bhubaneshwar (136 km.) and Raipur (300 km.) The company has a township for its 1500 employees.

Coal for the power plant is sourced from the Talcher Coal Field and water for thermal power is taken from Samal Barrage Reservoir in Brahamini River.

The geographical extent of the study area shall consist of an area within 10 km from the periphery of the projects components (Ash Pond Area). The study area approximately extends from 21°00’ N to 21°13’ N latitudes and 84°54’ E to 85°09’ E longitudes.

6.0 Summary of Results and Conclusions

Based on the results of water (Ground water, Surface water, Pond Ash), soil and ash samples, summary and conclusions drawn are discussed below.

Water Characteristics:

1. All the water samples including groundwater, surface water and pond ash show alkaline nature and having pH value ranging from 6.08 to 8.07 during pre- monsoon, 6.10 to 8.01 in post-monsoon. It does not show any significant seasonal variation. The overall range of the electrical conductivity during pre-monsoon varied between 130.8 µS/cm and 1451.5 µS/cm in all water samples (includes the sources such as river, pond, ash pond and groundwater) and between 102.0 to 1261µS/cm during

post monsoon season. 2. Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) in the groundwater, surface water and ash pond water ranged from 94.0 to 960 mg/l during pre-monsoon season and during post monsoon. The groundwater samples show higher TDS value than surface water and ash pond samples except Baudapeda pond. However, TDS of the all water samples fall in the category of fresh water and suitable for drinking and for irrigation uses The spatial differences between the EC and TDS values reflect the wide variations in lithology, surface activities and prevailing hydrological regime. 3. Total hardness (TH) varies from 89.8 to 570.4 mg/l and 41.5to 558.7 mg/l during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, respectively. Results from both season reveals that 12.5% of the analyzed samples were falling under soft water category and 18.8 - 25% samples are moderately hard (75-150 mg/l). While 37.5- 43.8 % samples are falling in hard water class and 25% samples indicating very hard water type. The total hardness in the groundwater samples of Bijigoal, Kiyojhar, Khajuria, Jarda and Badagundari villages exceeds the BIS acceptable limit during both sampling periods. 4. The anion chemistry of the analysed samples in both the monitoring periods shows that HCO3-, Cl- , SO42-, NO3- and fluoride (F-) are the dominant anions in water samples during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon. The groundwater and surface water samples follows the abundance order of HCO3->Cl->SO4-2>NO3->F- in the study area, while the sample from ash pond water follows the abundance order of HCO3->SO4-2>Cl->NO3->F-. a) Alkalinity: Overall the alkalinity (HCO3-) concentration of groundwater, surface water and ash pond samples during pre and post monsoon, is contributing between 76.6-77.0%, 66.8- 68.5% and 60.9-63.3% to the total anions (TZ-) respectively. However, the value of alkalinity in groundwater samples exceeded the desirable limit in 78% and 83% during pre and post- monsoon seasons. However, alkalinity in all the analysed groundwater samples are well within the permissible limit (600 mg/l). While, total ash pond water sample and >80% surface water samples have HCO3- concentration within desirable limit (200mg/l) during both the monitoring period. b) Chloride: The chloride (Cl-) concentration in the pre-monsoon and post - monsoon groundwater samples of the study area, varies between 5.17 to 155.7 mg/l and 5.35 to 140.5 mg/l with average concentration of 48.4 mg/l and 47.9 mg/l respectively. While during both monitoring seasons, all ash water sample having very low average concentration of chloride (16.6 and 17.0 mg/l) in comparison to groundwater and surface water samples, respectively in pre and post monsoon samples. Chloride concentrations in all the analysed samples were within the acceptable limit prescribed by BIS (2012) except in one pond sample at Baudapeda village. c) Sulphate: During the pre-monsoon and post monsoon samples sulphate (SO42-) concentration in groundwater was observed lowest (1.8-2.1 mg/l) in Sanahar village and highest (99.2 to 102.5 mg/l) at Derang village which is very close to existing ash pond. The ranges in both the round indicated that sulphate values are falling well within the stipulated standard at all groundwater and surface locations. Though average SO42- concentration in ash pond water was observed high (~67.0 mg/l) in compare to groundwater and surface water samples but still it was under BIS prescribed limit (200 mg/l) and varies during pre and post monsoon period between 6.6 to 106.1 mg/l and 6.4 to 104.7mg/l respectively. Sulphate concentrations are well within the acceptable limit in all type of water samples. d) Nitrate: Nitrate concentrations are well within the acceptable limit (45.0 mg/l) in all the analysed water samples except two groundwater samples at Mandua (GWTL-27), and Jarda (GWTL-28). During the pre-monsoon concentration of nitrate in the study area groundwater, surface water and ash pond water ranges from 0.09 to 56.38 mg/l, 0.14 to 12.09 mg/l and 0.47 to 13.54 mg/l respectively. Whereas during post monsoon concentration of nitrate in the groundwater, surface water and ash pond water ranges from 0.08 to 52.0 mg/l, 0.4 to 13.1 mg/l

and 0.3 to 17.1 mg/l respectively. e) Fluoride: During pre and post monsoon period the average concentration of fluoride was found in groundwater, surface water and ash pond water samples as 1.11, 1.08, 2.94 mg/l and 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 mg/l respectively. Results reveals that concentration of fluoride exceeds the prescribed permissible limit (1.5 mg/l) for drinking water requirement, about 33.3% and 37.5% of the analysed groundwater and surface water respectively during both the monitoring seasons. The fluoride concentration in the ash pond water (5.5 mg/l during pre- monsoon and 3.7 mg/l during post monsoon (@AWTL-13) is much higher than the maximum permissible limit (1.5 mg/l) at most of the locations. The fluoride concentrations in the ash pond water are not in conformity with the effluent standards notified vide G.S.R. 422(E) dated 19.05.1993 under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for discharge of effluents into inland surface water at most of the locations (CPCB, 2010). If needs to be discharged, necessary precautionary measure should be adopted to bring down the fluoride concentration.

5. The water chemistry is dominated by Ca, Mg, Na, and K during both sampling periods. The dominance of these ions is in the order Ca> Na > Mg > K in groundwater and ash water while in surface water order is Na>Ca>K> Mg. Alkali cations dominate over alkaline earths (Ca++ and Mg++) in many samples and on average Ca++ alone constitute >50% of the total cations (TZ+) in the groundwater samples.

a) Calcium: Calcium contributing >50.0% to the total cations (TZ+) in the both monitoring periods. During pre-monsoon sampling, average concentration of calcium in groundwater, surface water and ash pond water samples are found 73.74, 26.87 and 59.09 mg/l respectively. While no significant seasonal variation was observed. Result reveals that no samples exceeded the permissible limit prescribed by BIS (2012) for drinking water. b) Sodium: Concentration of Sodium in groundwater, surface water and ash pond water samples during pre-monsoon varies between 6.07 to 91.93 mg/l, 6.70 to 244.09 mg/l (Baudapeda pond) and 5.89 to 20.23 mg/l respectively, while in the post- monsoon, sodium concentration in groundwater, surface water and ash pond water samples ranges between 5.7 to 94.1 mg/l, 5.9 to 231.2 mg/l (Baudapeda pond) and 6.5 to 22.7 mg/l respectively. The values at all locations for both the seasons are within the stipulated standards and only one site (i.e., Baudapeda pond) exceeded the permissible limit (200 mg/l) recommended by BIS/ WHO. c) Magnesium: Mg in groundwater, surface and ash pond water samples constitutes 19.2%, 7.9%, 12.3% of the total cationic charge balance respectively during pre-monsoon. Whereas in post monsoon samples, Mg contribution was 18.6%, 8.5%, 11.6% in groundwater, surface and ash pond water, respectively. The Mg in 33% of groundwater samples (at the site Sunaripal, Kiyojhar, Mandua and Badagundari villages) exceeded the acceptable limit (30 mg/l) while none exceeded the permissible limit (100 mg/l) for drinking water. d) Potassium: K+ contribution (%) in groundwater, surface water and ash pond water samples of the study area was during both monitoring period ranging between 4.7-4.8%, 9.6-10.3%, 7.8-8.1% of the total cationic charge balance respectively. The overall concentration of K+ varies between 0.78 to 51.01 mg/l. All the groundwater samples have K+ values within guideline level (10 mg/l EEC) except at one sampling location (Jarda), while almost 33% of the analysed the ash pond samples exceeds the EEC limit. 6. In this study oil and grease pollution levels were determined in groundwater, surface water and ash pond water samples. In the pre monsoon seasons the highest level found in Haripura pond water (17.5 mg/l) near thermal power plant, while in ash pond water and groundwater samples of study area varies between BDL to 6.53 (AWTL-13) mg/l, and BDL to 6.75 mg/l respectively. While in the post monsoon sample oil and grease concentration was significantly lower than pre monsoon samples. In many samples concentration of oil and grease was observed above the acceptable limit

(0.5 mg/l) of BIS (2012) and WHO (2011). 7. The Hill and Piper plot of chemical data revealed that the major water types are Ca- Mg-HCO3, Na- Mg-HCO3, Ca-Mg- SO4-2 -Cl- and Na-K-HCO3--Cl. The facies mapping shows that Ca-Mg-HCO3 is the dominant hydro geochemical facies. 8. On critical examination of major and trace metals results, it is observed that their concentration in groundwater and surface water samples not exceeds the permissible limit (BIS 2012). In case of ash pond water, mostly exceeds the desirable limit and even at few location permissible limit also. The details of variation are described in brief.

a) Trace metals in Ground Water: The concentration of As, Hg, Cd, Mo, Ni, Cr and Cr(vi) is within the permissible limit for all the 18 groundwater samples. However, during pre-monsoon, it is evident from the results that 12%, 27%, 66% and 100% samples out of total groundwater samples exceeded the maximum permissible limit for Pb, Mn, Al and Fe respectively. While for post monsoon 33% and 78%samples exceeded the maximum permissible limit for Mn and Al respectively. Se concentrations in all the groundwater samples were well within the acceptable limit during both seasons except in three groundwater samples. b) Trace metals in Surface Water: The results from this study reveal that all surface water samples having Mn, Se concentration below maximum permissible limit. Whereas two surface water samples are exceeding the acceptable limits for Hg, Cr and one sample out of 8 surface water samples exceeding the acceptable limits of lead (Pb). Whereas about 94-100 % surface water samples exceeded the acceptable limit of Aluminium (Al) for drinking purpose during both monitoring periods in pre and post monsoon respectively. c) Trace metals in Ash Pond Water: In case of ash pond water samples, 83%,66.6%,50% and 17% samples of the study area exceed the maximum permissible limit for Mo, Mn, Pb and Ni prescribed by BIS (2012). In ash pond water samples, molybdenum exceeds the acceptable limit of drinking water in 83% samples, Se in 66% samples and Fe in 100% samples. Aluminium concentration in ash pond water is higher than the permissible limit for drinking water for all the samples.

SOIL CHARACTERISTICS: In this study total 30 soil samples were collected around the proposed ash pond during each pre- monsoon and post monsoon seasons from 10 different sites having depth up to 3 meter (bgl).., These soil samples were collected and grain size (soil texture), chemical analysis have been carried out. The following conclusions are drawn:

1. These soils contain mostly coarse to very coarse sand and occasionally rich in gravels while fine sand silt and clay is very less. During both the seasons clay contents in the soils samples ranged from 1.3 to 9.7% (pre-monsoon) and 1.6 to 10.1% (post-monsoon). Silt and sand contents show large variation. Silt contents ranges from 8.1 to 47.8%; while sand contents from 34.4 to 88.5% during both the season and doesn’t observed any significant seasonal variation. However coarse size fractions increases with depth in these soils and fine size fractions decreasing. 2. Based on textural classification major soil type are: Sandy loam, Loamy sand, Loam, Poorly to medium gravelled sandy loam. 3. The soils are slightly acidic to neutral in reaction and the total soluble salts are fairly low, pH ranges vary between 5.0 to 6.3 (average 5.64), and 4.8 to 6.1 (average 5.62) during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon respectively. It is observed that 30 % of analysed soils sample of study area are acidic in nature (pH<5.5) while remaining 70 % are slightly acidic (pH 5.5 – 6.5) during both the season. 4. EC of the soils samples range between 250.0 to 790.0 µS/cm (Pre-monsoon) and 270.0 to 787.0 µS/cm (post-monsoon), with an average of 515.0 µS/cm, which indicates that these soils are free from any kind of salt problem.

5. Organic carbon (OC) content in the soils generally decreased with depth, in these soils also observed the same trends, highest OC content was observed at Atabira and it varied from 1.3 to 4.2 % during both season. 6. The results from soil samples revels that concentrations of major cations were in the order of Ca+2>Na+>K+>Mg+2 during pre-monsoon, while Ca+2>Mg+2>Na+>K+ during post monsoon. Among anions, concentration was in the order of SO4-2> NO3- > Cl-> F- during both the season with showing minor variation. 7. During both the seasons pre and post monsoon soil were analysed and based on US salinity diagram, it can be concluded that majority of the soil water samples fall in the category C2S1 and very low % (>10) of samples falling in the category C3S1, C2S2, C3S2. This soil-water can be used for plants with good salt tolerance. 8. In the study area the average value of CEC remains almost uniform (19.7 to 20.21 meq/100gm) during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon and ranging from 11.53 to 27.91 meq/100 gm.. 9. The concentrations of heavy metals in soils are far higher than those in water and showed enrichment of metals in these soils. The results from the soil analysis indicates that toxic metals, Arsenic, Cadmium, Molybdenum (7.9 to 93.0 mg/kg) and Mercury (0.2 to 5.8 mg/kg) are in low concentration as compared to Cobalt, Chromium, Lead, Nickel, Zinc and Copper which showing higher concentration (31.8 to 316 mg/kg) during both seasons.

Ash Characteristics: Ash water characteristics and simulation results are summerised below: 1. Ash-water interaction reveals that all the fly ash samples are acidic in nature. pH ranging from 5.04 to 5.81. The experimental data of pH at different time interval reveals that pH of the fly ash is more acidic in the initial stages, but becomes less acidic in the longer duration due to the release of alkali material in solution. 2. The composition of ash sample indicated that the entire sample are high in SiO2. In pre- monsoon season, fly ash, bottom ash, and pond ash contains 60.0%, 50.0-58.0%, 56.4-61.3% SiO2 respectively. Similarly during Post- monsoon, 58.7-61.6%, 60.4-61.9% and 60.4-61.9% SiO2 in fly ash, bottom ash, and pond ash respectively. 3. Among the various heavy metals, B, Mg and Al are dominating in each fly ash, bottom ash and pond. Their concentration range from 794.4 to 53683.0 ppb in Fly ash, 6213.3-54810.6 ppb in Bottom ash, 6115.3-90681.7 ppb in Pond ash. Aluminium shows enrichment in pond ash as compared to bottom and fly ash. 4. Whereas toxic element like Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, As, Li, Hg are low in concentration ranging from 1.0 to 266.7 ppb in fly ash, 0.3 to 384.3 ppb in bottom ash, 0.1 to 128.6ppb in pond ash. The results indicate that Cadmium, Cobalt, Arsenic and Mercury are lower in pond ash than that of fly ash and bottom ash. The overall low concentration in pond ash is suggesting no or minor accumulations of these trace metals in the ash pond area. 5. Results of leachate extracts analysed for various metals concentration show that Al, Fe, Mg and B fall under higher rate of leaching while Be, Zn, Cu, Mn are under moderate category. However, Ni, Co, Cr, Mo, Se and Pb show slower rate of leaching among all the analysed ash samples during both seasons. The trace element like Cd and Hg do not show any significant leaching from ash samples during this study. This might be due to presence of high silica content in the Talcher coal. It appears that very low concentration of trace elements available as adsorbed ions in the ash. Hence TCLP experiment show very low amount of leaching from the ash to groundwater.

FIELD PHOTOGRAPHS

Ash is transported in the form of slurry from TSTPS, NTPC Kaniha and disposed into ash pond: Lagoon 1 (running), Lagoon 2 (standby).

Rengali Dam NIH staff recording water level