‘We Want to Live': The Crying Crisis of Residents in Bengal Village Next to a Thermal Power Station

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'We Want to Live': The Crying Crisis of Residents in Bengal Village Next to a Thermal Power Station
Madhu Sudan Chatterjee
35 minutes ago
In Latiabona village, the nearby Meija Thermal Power Station (MTPS) releases toxic fumes every day that have caused a series of skin and lung diseases in the residents.
Mejia Thermal power Station at Durlavpur, Bankura district. It is merely 50 metres away from Laitaboni village. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee
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Where temperatures hover around 39-40 degrees Celsius in other parts of the district, in Latiabani village of Bankura district, West Bengal, it has now touched 42 degrees, and it is expected to rise further in the coming days.
Breaking the silent, languid afternoon under the intense heat, 67-year-old Magaram Lohar lets out a faint, sizzling sound from his parched lips. His ribs, covered by thin, translucent skin, rise and fall rapidly with each laboured breath. From 10 feet away, the outlines of his ribcage are starkly visible. He struggles to breathe normally; his eyes appear ready to pop out of their sockets. Itching has erupted all over his body, forcing him into an endless cycle of scratching. His entire frame writhes in pain.
Just a few feet away, 60-year-old Biswanath Lohar lies on a rope cot, coughing uncontrollably and clutching his chest in agony. The air is thick with toxic smoke, a dense haze blanketing the sky. Every breath carries this poisoned air into the lungs of the villagers, and when the wind picks up, coal dust and fly ash settle across the village like a shroud.
Biswanath Lohar, 60, suffers from lung and skin diseases
Even at noon, the sky darkens as though twilight has fallen. This is not an occasional occurrence – this is the daily reality in Latiaboni.
Latiaboni is adjacent to the Mejia Thermal Power Station (MTPS), a unit under the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), situated in Durlavpur village within the Gangajalghati block of Bankura district. The smoke rises from the chimneys of the MTPS, just 100 metres away, while ash billows from two ash ponds located a mere 50 metres from the village.
Located 192 kilometres west of Kolkata, MTPS is the largest thermal power generation plant in eastern India. It has the infrastructure to produce 2,340 megawatts of electricity daily through eight operating units. Currently, it produces an average of 2,000 megawatts.
Once home to nearly 300 families, Latiaboni has seen half its population leave, forced to flee the choking pollution to protect their loved ones. Today, the village is engulfed in an eerie silence.
Latiaboni village, situated within 50 metres of the MTPS plant.
'In the last five years, over 60 people have died in Latiaboni. None of them passed away due to natural causes. They died slowly, of severe lung diseases,' said Nimai Majhi, a resident and president of the Latiaboni People Welfare Society.
A 37-year-old primary school teacher, Nimai lives in Uporpara, the central area of the village, where most residents belong to the middle class and are relatively financially stable.
However, the situation is far worse in Namopara, the lower end of the village, where the marginalised, primarily daily wage labourers, live, most of them from Scheduled Castes, struggling to survive in hand-to-mouth conditions.
'We don't have proper homes to live in, nor do we get to eat even one full meal a day. Where will we go for shelter? We are somehow surviving by forcefully inhaling the toxic smoke and ash from the Mejia Thermal Plant,' says Magaram Lohar, who has suffered from chronic lung and skin diseases for years.
Magaram Lohar has been suffering from lung and skin disease for several years.
Two years ago, he lost his wife, Rebi Lohar, to a lung condition as he could not afford her treatment. He now lives with the uncertainty of whether he will be the next.
'We have nothing to do here except count deaths. Come back in two years, and this place will have turned into a desert,' says Bishwanath Lohar.
Nimai says, 'Those who had some financial capacity have already left their ancestral homes to settle elsewhere.'
History of the MTPS
'The Left student and youth organisations held a massive rally in Mejia on May 8, 1982, demanding the construction of a power plant in the adjoining Mejia and Gangajalghati blocks in North Bankura,' says Amiya Patra, then district secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI).
He says that, driven by this demand, an intense movement had spread across the district. Additionally, the then Left Front government strongly lobbied the Union government to establish a thermal power plant in the area.
On March 20, 1986, a formal notification was issued for the construction of the Mejia Thermal Power Station (MTPS) of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) at Durlavpur. 'At that time, the state government, Bankura Zilla Parishad, and local panchayats cooperated actively during the land acquisition process. There were no major disputes,' says Jyansankar Mitra, former Sabhadhipati (chief) of the Bankura Zilla Parishad.
A new ash pond of MTPS under construction near Latiaboni village.
A total of 2,633 acres were acquired for the project – 1,000 acres were forest land, while the remainder comprised agricultural land and human settlements. Several villages and lands, including those in Latiaboni, Khatiyala, Machhbandha, Ghatakgram, Amdanda, Durlavpur, Parrar Gram, Gonsaigram and Simula, were included within the plant premises. Villages like Ghatakgram and Amdanda no longer exist today.
Families whose lands and homes were taken were compensated with the then-prevailing market value and were allotted plots in nearby areas for resettlement. Additionally, DVC offered employment to one member of each affected family who lost agricultural or vacant land. In total, 520 people received jobs under this arrangement at MTPS.
After trial runs in 1995, the MTPS began electricity generation in 1996. Initially, it generated 630 megawatts of electricity. Over time, eight units were developed, making it the largest thermal power plant under DVC.
Now, the plant supplies electricity to several industries in Bankura, the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company, and neighbouring states. In the past, it also supplied power to Bangladesh.
Living with the chemicals
As evening descends, the area lights up brightly, but at what cost? The people living around the power plant are paying a heavy price for this so-called development. When will their darkness fade?
Speaking on condition of anonymity, an engineer at MTPS explains to The Wire: 'Electricity is generated by burning coal, and chemical oil is used to fuel the furnaces. After generation, coal ash mixed with wastewater is expelled through pipes. This results in toxic ash-water.'
After electricity generated by burning coal at MTPS, the remnants of coal is turned into ash. This ash is discharged through several pipes from the thermal plant. During the process, sufficient water is added to it so that ash can flow out smoothly. The place where this mix of ash and water falls is called an ash pond.
Polluted water mixed with ash from Mejia thermal power station flowing into an ash pond adjacent to Latiaboni village.
There are currently two ash ponds spanning approximately eight kilometres. A third one is under construction. Most days, this ash-water is discharged into the ponds through several large pipes.
'If you walk in this ash water for just half an hour, your lower body will begin to itch, rashes will break out, and skin irritation will follow,' he says.
Just two days ago, amid the extreme heat, it was observed that while ash-mixed water continuously flowed into the ponds, groups of local women and youth were seen filtering the ash-water using pieces of cloth – a process locally known as fena chanka (foam filtering). This process yields a powdery substance called cenosphere, used in nickel production.
Locals sell it to outside traders at Rs. 250 per bag. 'There are no other job opportunities in this area. How else can we sustain our families? We are forced to extract cenosphere from this toxic waste,' says one of the women engaged in the work.
Sonali and Lotika Lohar spend their days collecting cenosphere rocks from ash ponds in the area.
The emissions from the plant have not only polluted the groundwater but have also led to severe health hazards. Agricultural lands in multiple villages – Jamgari, Radhakrishnapur, Bankdoho, Pheguyasol, Lotiaboni and Nityanandapur – have been devastated.
A few years ago, following prolonged agitation and the efforts of former member of parliament, Basudeb Acharia, DVC provided one-time compensation to the affected farmers.
Agricultural land now no longer in use in Latiaboni. It has been destroyed due to the polluted groundwater.
Today, more than a thousand hectares of agricultural land in these areas are covered in ash. Only wild weeds grow there now. 'Farmers have repeatedly demanded the removal of ash from their lands. Under pressure from protests, DVC started providing yearly compensation to farmers,' says Madanmohan Dang of Khatiyala, in unison with Fatik Layek of Radhakrishnapur, Kamaksha Layek of Machhbandha, Kanai Ray and Krishnachandra Ray of Subiyara, and Banomali Ray of Jamgari.
Banamali Ray stated that the irrigation pond in Jamgari village – constructed by the Left government in 1984 – has now been entirely filled with ash, leaving no trace of water. People are questioning whether the state government intends to remain indifferent to the issue or if there is a deliberate silence for reasons unknown. According to sources, over eight wagons of coal are used daily to generate electricity at the plant, and more than 7,000 tonnes of fly ash are dumped into two ash ponds each day. These ponds are now overflowing, and even a slight breeze causes ash to disperse over a wide area.
Every day, the ash is taken out of the MTPS ash pond and dumped in dumpers.
'Due to consistent mass movements by the local population, the MTPS authorities have been compelled to begin removing the accumulated ash in recent years,' says Manik Dang, a resident of Ghatiyala, and Nimai Maji of Latiaboni.
Achinta Das, general secretary of the CITU-affiliated All DVC Contractor Workers' Union, says 'Currently, around 300 dumpers remove ash from the two ponds daily. It is sold to cement factories, brick kilns, and is used for road construction. But a significant amount of ash still remains. We have repeatedly demanded more ash ponds and a scientific system to filter the ash before it is released.'
The ash being carried from the MTPS ash pond to the dumpers.
Despite some removal efforts, huge mounds of ash continue to remain. A dumper contractor from Malda mentioned that many dumpers have now been diverted to Durgapur for the barrage repair work, reducing the number of active dumpers in the area to below 300. As a result, even a mild storm causes ash to blanket nearby villages like Latiaboni.
Ghost town
Two days ago, when this writer visited Latiaboni village, it appeared like a ghost town. Roads were deserted and most houses were locked. 'More than a hundred families, including those of Amiya Mandal, Shyamapada Mandal, Biswanath Mandal, and Bablu Mahato, have already left. The health of residents like Mrityunjoy Maji, Sadananda Maji, and Nantu Maji has deteriorated so much that doctors advised them to relocate. They have also moved away,' said Nimai Maji.
During the discussion, several women – Dharubala Maji, Munmun Maji, Pinki Maji and Mampi Maji – gathered to express their despair: 'We cannot allow our children to live and die in this village. It has become a death trap. The fly ash and toxic emissions have made life unbearable.'
Latiaboni has no market, tea stall, or sweet shop. Middle-aged Rabi Mandal sits idly in his small gumti (hut stall), where he used to sell cigarettes, bidis, betel nuts, and chocolates. 'There are no customers. Most people have left the village. Look around – who is left to buy anything?' he says, adding, 'We are suffering from fever, headaches, respiratory illnesses and skin diseases.'
A deserted street in Latiaboni village.
Residents say that although a medical clinic has been set up by MTPS, a doctor visits only once a week, and medicines are not available. An elderly resident, Garubala Maji, claims that people have stopped marrying their daughters into this village.
'No one wants their daughters to live and die in this toxic environment,' Biswanath Mandal adds.
'In the past five years, over 60 people – including Kalipada Mandal (60), Ajoy Maji (60), Subash Hazra (50), Sunil Lohar (45), Hiralal Paramanik (70), Rebi Lohar (50), and Nupur Mandal (17) – have died, all from respiratory ailments,' Nimai Maji says.
Pinki Maji, a housewife, adds that most residents suffer from skin diseases. 'Even washed clothes get covered with a layer of ash immediately,' she said.
Samiran Sengupta, a former health worker from Bankura and general secretary of the environmental organisation Amra Sabai Ekshathe, says, 'We have received information from Bankura Medical College and Hospital that the majority of dermatology patients from Lotiaboni suffer from allergic dermatitis.'
Meanwhile, Nimai says that the Lotiaboni People's Welfare Society, which he is also a part of, has repeatedly demanded that the village be relocated. 'There is no other solution,' he says.
However, he adds that while the MTPS authorities have discussed the issue several times, no concrete steps have been taken to resolve it.
Residents of Latiaboni, still trying to survive amid worsening conditions, voice their concerns, saying: 'We want to live. We want DVC to rehabilitate us as early as possible. We are not against the power plant. But the district administration must take immediate and appropriate action. Otherwise, our very existence will soon be wiped out.'
Magaram Lohar standing in the backdrop of the thermal power plant.
What environmentalists say
'Thermal power plants, especially those using coal, are major sources of pollution that severely impact air, water, and overall environmental health. They release greenhouse gases, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter,' says Joydeb Chandra, a renowned environmentalist and assistant general secretary of the Paschim Banga Bigyan Mancha state committee.
Stressing the urgent need for proper installation and 24/7 operation of Electrostatic Precipitators (ESP) at the chimney outlets to trap toxic particles, he adds, 'There have been frequent complaints that the ESP machines are often non-operational.'
Meanwhile, Joydeb Chandra recommends extensive afforestation using neem, tamarind, blackcurrant, mango, jackfruit, and banyan trees across the affected areas. 'These trees not only prevent polluting particles from settling on the ground but also play a vital role in carbon absorption,' he says.
He assures that Paschim Banga Bigyan Mancha would soon initiate dialogue with the MTPS authorities on implementing these measures.
With no work, people of Latiaboni village spend their days sitting idle.
Response from DVC's MTPS authorities and district administration
When informed about the dire situation in Latiaboni and surrounding areas due to pollution from the MTPS, Pradyuman Prasad Sah, senior chief general manager and head of the project at the station, states, 'Experts from the Pollution Control Board have visited the site. Based on their recommendations, we are installing new, environmentally friendly chimneys. Three have already been installed, and the remaining will be installed in phases.'
He claims that the smoke that will come out of these newly constructed chimneys will not cause any pollution.
When asked about the possible relocation of Lotiaboni village, Sah says, 'This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the district administration and the state government.'
On this issue, additional district magistrate (general) Nakul Mahato says, 'If DVC's MTPS submits a formal proposal for the relocation of the village, the administration will consider it. However, as of now, the district administration has not yet taken any steps or decisions regarding the relocation.'
All photos are by Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.
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