KARACHI: Adverse impact of new power plants discussed: Environmental assessment
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, May 27: The participants of a public hearing pertaining to environmental impact assessment stressed the need for devising an exclusive policy on operation, monitoring and evaluation of the existing and future power plants in Karachi and other parts of Sindh.
They feared that in a situation when government wanted significant increase in power generation, there are chances of grave cumulative impact on environment, marine life, availability of gas and freshwater and human lives.
The public hearing was conducted by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency on Saturday to have a public consultation on EIAs submitted by the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation for grant of NOC to initiate the capacity enhancement projects at its Korangi Thermal Power Station and Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station. The KESC hopes to get about 800MW additional electricity through the two projects by the end of 2009.
The Bin Qasim project will use the sea water from Gharo Creek as cooling medium for steam turbine condensers and discharge it into Phitti Creek.
The project proponents and consultants of Korangi Thermal Power Station said it was located at the south-western side of the Korangi Creek, which had an average depth of 15km with a shallow bar at its entrance. After the installation of the capacity enhancement project at Korangi, the existing cooling water circulation system with rerouting and engineering modification work of intake channel will be used with expected maximum temperature rise of three degrees centigrade before it is discharged back to the sea, the consultant said adding that there is hardly any evidence that the discharged sea water would be polluted.
Both the capacity enhancement projects will use the natural gas through existing pipelines system of Sui Southern Gas Company, while the high speed diesel oil will also be used a standby (emergency) fuel. The ambient air quality and noise levels had been projected of low extent at both the sites, said the consultant.
No significant adverse impacts were expected on surface water, soil, ambient air quality, noise levels and fauna and flora due to the two projects during construction and operation phases, the consultant added.
Speaking at a point, the KESC’s Chief Executive Officer Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Mohammad Amjad said the projects had been aimed at increasing KESC’s own power generation, which was at present around 1710MW, including those purchased from by IPPs.
“We expect the demand of the city to increase up to 4000MW by the year 2010 and as such there is a compulsion to increase our own capacity and also encourage new IPPs dedicating and diverting their electricity for Karachi,” he added.
Referring to a suggestion that the proponent could have gone for an exclusive marine outfall at least 10km away from the mangroves for the outgoing circulating cooling sea water of the two plants, he said it could be more helpful from environment point of view but it would cost extra ordinarily and as such the KESC would have no option but to increase the cost of its product.
The speakers, including professionals and conservationists, urged the government to ensure investigations of the operations of power plants and enforce well-defined conditions for clean environment.
It should also earmark some area exclusively for establishment of power plants, as the present practice of establishing plants at the convenience of proponents and owners was surely to increase the problems of greenhouse effects, scarcity of potable water and gases, unsafe discharge of effluents and waste waters into the sea.
Summing up the public hearing, the chair, SEPA Director-General Abdul Malik Ghauri said his agency had already approached to the federal environment agency for some guidance on the issue.
The matter pertaining to establishment of any exclusive zone for power plants and other industries would also be taken up at a proper forum soon, he added.
He expressed hope that the KESC would fulfil the regulatory requirement pertaining to environment and meet its obligations as it had promised in the EIA reports.
