High Performance, Low Pollution

With the number of vehicles and industries growing at an alarming rate in India, pollution levels are also shooting up. Most of us go about our daily lives feeling the impact of pollution in smarting eyes and asthmatic sighs, but we do not do much beyond talking about it. But there are some people who are actually thinking of ways in which to preserve a green environment so that we can all breathe cleaner air.

They are employees of a thermal or coal-based power plant in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. The amazing fact is that they have been running a 50-year-old power plant without polluting the environment.

What is an image of a thermal plant in your mind — black soot coming out from the chimneys, coal dust and ash all around? But, in the power plant here, the scenario is different. There are many trees around the plant. The land around it is green and there is no soot coming out of the chimneys. There is a good reason for this, according to a report in ‘Down to Earth’ magazine.

As soon as the coal is dumped into the yard, the workers sprinkle water on it. By doing this they ensure that there is no coal-dust arising to envelop the surroundings. They also make sure that the coal is burnt little by little so that there is minimum pollution.

The most polluted area in the plant is the one where coal is dumped from the trucks. It is here that the workers control coal-dust pollution by sprinkling water on the coal. Many trees have also been planted in this area to prevent the spread of the coal-dust.

In the area where the conveyor belts carrying coal and ash separately, are situated, coal-dust pollution is controlled through other commonsensical methods such as providing covers on the belts. The water that is used in the boilers is also treated for impurities. This water is then used for spraying in the coal yard. If there is extra water then it is used for gardening. By recycling, the plant has reduced its water consumption needs to a great extent.

362 words | 3 minutes
Readability: Grade 7 (12-13 year old children)
Based on Flesch–Kincaid readability scores

Filed under: world news
Tags: #trees, #environment, #pollution

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