Living near coal plants? You may be inhaling 10 times more sulphur dioxide, says IIT Delhi study

New Delhi: If you live near a coal-fired power plant, the air you breathe may carry ten times more sulphur dioxide than in areas far from such facilities, a new study by IIT Delhi has found. The report reveals that cities located within 10 kilometres of
thermal power plants
recorded an annual average SO₂ concentration of 16.4 micrograms per cubic metre, sharply higher than the 1.5 micrograms recorded in cities beyond 25 kilometres.
The study, conducted by the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, categorised cities into three groups based on their distance from thermal power plants and analysed SO₂ concentrations using Central Pollution Control Board's Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) data between 2019 and 2022. The findings show a consistent trend of rising sulphur dioxide levels in cities that are closer to coal-fired units.
'Results indicate that cities in closer proximity to thermal power plants have significantly higher annual average SO₂ concentrations,' the report said. The analysis attributes this disparity to direct emissions from coal-based thermal units, where
pollution control technologies
like flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) are either absent or yet to be implemented.
The findings come at a time when implementation deadlines for sulphur dioxide emission standards, initially finalised in 2015, have been extended to as late as 2027 in several regions. The report adds that thermal power plants located near dense population centres should be prioritised for early installation of emission control systems to reduce exposure levels.
The study aims to support policymakers in refining location-based emission strategies and emphasises the need for urgent intervention in coal plant clusters situated near large urban populations.

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