Thermal power plants generate enormous quantities of fly ash as a byproduct of coal combustion. Explain why ash management is a specific and serious environmental challenge for thermal power corporations, and describe two measures such a corporation can adopt to minimise the environmental impact of ash.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:37 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Ash management is a serious environmental challenge because fly ash from thermal power plants is a major solid waste that pollutes land and water. When dumped in ash ponds, it can leach into soil and contaminate groundwater. Fine ash particles also become airborne, causing air pollution.
Two measures to minimise environmental impact:
- Maximising ash utilisation — ash can be used in construction materials, reducing the quantity requiring disposal.
- Ash pond management with ash water recycling — recycling ash water prevents toxic leachate from contaminating nearby water bodies and soil.
(As adopted by NTPC under its Environment Management System ISO 14001 certification.)
Source: Industrial Pollution and Environmental Degradation; Control of Environmental Degradation, Chapter 6
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Explanation
- The passage explicitly lists fly ash as a "major solid waste" and mentions land/water pollution from dumping.
- The NTPC box directly gives the two measures: "maximising ash utilisation" and "ash pond management, ash water recycling system" — use these exact phrases for full marks.
- Examiners expect one clear reason for the challenge + two distinct, named measures. Don't write vague points like "proper disposal" without the specific method.