Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment

GS-3

 1.SULFUR DIOXIDE EMISSION NORMS DELAYED

The Ministry of Power has proposed pushing back the deadlines for adoption of new emission norms by coal-fired power plants, stating “an unworkable time schedule” would burden utilities and lead to an increase in power tariffs.

  • India initially had set a 2017 deadline for thermal power plants to comply with emissions standards for installing Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) units that cut emissions of toxic sulphur dioxide.
  • This was later changed to varying deadlines for different regions, ending in 2022.

FLUE GAS DESULPHURISATION (FED):

  • Removal of Sulfur Dioxide is called as Flue-gas Desulphurization (FGD).
  • It seeks to remove gaseous pollutants viz.
  • SO2 from exhaust flue gases generated in furnaces, boilers, and other industrial processes due to thermal processing, treatment, and combustion.

PROPOSAL OF THE MINISTRY OF POWER:

  • It has proposed a “graded action plan,” whereby areas where plants are located would be graded according to the severity of pollution, with Region 1 referring to critically polluted areas, and Region 5 being the least polluted.
  • Strict control of emissions shall be required in such key areas for thermal power stations categorised under Region 1.
  • Plants in Region 2 could begin to take action one year after those in Region 1.
  • Presently no action is required for power plants that are situated under Region 3, 4 & 5.
  • According to the Ministry, the target should be to maintain uniform ambient air quality across the country and not uniform emission norms for thermal power plants.
  • This could avoid immediate increase in power price in various relatively clean areas of the country (and) avoid unnecessary burden on power utilities/consumers.

SOURCE:

  • The largest source of SO2 in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other industrial facilities.

Smaller sources of so2 emissions include:

  • industrial processes such as extracting metal from ore; 
  • Natural sources such as volcanoes;
  • And locomotives, ships and other vehicles and heavy equipment that burn fuel with a high sulfur content.

IMPACT:

  • SO2 can affect both health and the environment.
  • Short-term exposures to SO2 can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult.
  • People with asthma, particularly children, are sensitive to these effects of SO2.
  • SO2 emissions that lead to high concentrations of SO2 in the air generally also lead to the formation of other sulfur oxides (SOx).
  • SOx can react with other compounds in the atmosphere to form small particles. These particles contribute to particulate matter (PM)pollution.
  • Small particles may penetrate deeply into the lungs and in sufficient quantities can contribute to health problems.

INDIA’S CASE:

  • India’s sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions recorded a significant decline of approximately 6% in 2019 compared to 2018, the steepest drop in four years, according to a report from Greenpeace India and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
  • However, India remained the largest emitter of SO2.
  • In 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) introduced Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) emission limits for coal power stations.
  • Air Quality sub-index has been evolved for eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb) for which short-term (upto 24-hours) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed

SOURCE: PIB

 

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