People living near power plants in Korba vulnerable to COVID-19: Study
RAIPUR: Communities residing near coal-fired thermal power plants in Korba—the power capital of Chhattisgarh—are two times likely to suffer from respiratory diseases amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was revealed in a recent study released by Chhattisgarh's State Health Resource Centre (SHRC) which assessed the health impact on communities in Korba living near coal-fired thermal power plants. The study establishes the hypothesis that the population living near thermal power plants has greater exposure to particulate matter resulting in higher respiratory illnesses than the general population.
Coronavirus lockdown: Latest updates
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/coronavirus-india-live-news-updates-total-number-of-corona-cases-in-india-state-wise-list-delhi-maharashtra-telangana/liveblog/74975998.cms
SHRC Executive Director Dr Prabir Chatterjee told TOI “as per findings of the study, communities living in close vicinity of coal-fired thermal power plants in Korba are more prone to respiratory diseases than the general population. Therefore, if a disease like COVID-19 which attacks respiratory system, if reaches Korba, this population is highly vulnerable to the disease.”
Dr Chatterjee added that studies like this help us identify clusters of vulnerable populations and design services that are most needed for them, not just during normal circumstances but also during pandemics like COVID. For Korba we need a process of continuous monitoring of health and a robust health system dedicated to mitigation of the air pollution related problems among the residents.
Korba-based Environmental Activist Laxmi Chauhan said, “The findings of the report vindicate our claims of serious impacts on health of the people in the region due to air pollution from the power plants. We welcome the findings of the report and now urge the state administration to ensure that these recommendations are implemented in a time-bound manner to ensure that there is no further damage from power plants on our health and environment.”
In this cross-sectional study, samples from exposed populations living within a 10 km radius of the power plants in Korba and samples of unexposed population of village Katghora about 20 kilometers away from Korba were compared. The findings of the health study show significantly elevated prevalence of respiratory diseases like asthma symptoms and bronchitis among the exposed population in Korba than unexposed ones in Katghora. As per the findings Asthma symptoms and bronchitis were 11.79% and 2.96% among the exposed group while 5.46% and 0.99% respectively in the unexposed group.
The study also claims that there have been anecdotal reports from the villagers about increased prevalence of skin problems, lung problems, and asthma in the region. Local farmers have reported crop damages and contamination in irrigation water which affects the paddy fields. Many farmers have been reportedly abandoning their lands due to reduced crop productivity.
Based on these findings, SHRC Chhattisgarh has made urgent health recommendations to set up a specialized health care infrastructure operated by the state health departments at polluters’ cost, under the ‘polluter pays principle’, to cater to health issues of residents in the region. Recommendations has also been made to the state to conduct a cumulative health impact study of various industries on the health of residents in the area to formulate a necessary health mitigation plan for the region.
This was revealed in a recent study released by Chhattisgarh's State Health Resource Centre (SHRC) which assessed the health impact on communities in Korba living near coal-fired thermal power plants. The study establishes the hypothesis that the population living near thermal power plants has greater exposure to particulate matter resulting in higher respiratory illnesses than the general population.
Coronavirus lockdown: Latest updates
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/coronavirus-india-live-news-updates-total-number-of-corona-cases-in-india-state-wise-list-delhi-maharashtra-telangana/liveblog/74975998.cms
SHRC Executive Director Dr Prabir Chatterjee told TOI “as per findings of the study, communities living in close vicinity of coal-fired thermal power plants in Korba are more prone to respiratory diseases than the general population. Therefore, if a disease like COVID-19 which attacks respiratory system, if reaches Korba, this population is highly vulnerable to the disease.”
Dr Chatterjee added that studies like this help us identify clusters of vulnerable populations and design services that are most needed for them, not just during normal circumstances but also during pandemics like COVID. For Korba we need a process of continuous monitoring of health and a robust health system dedicated to mitigation of the air pollution related problems among the residents.
Korba-based Environmental Activist Laxmi Chauhan said, “The findings of the report vindicate our claims of serious impacts on health of the people in the region due to air pollution from the power plants. We welcome the findings of the report and now urge the state administration to ensure that these recommendations are implemented in a time-bound manner to ensure that there is no further damage from power plants on our health and environment.”
In this cross-sectional study, samples from exposed populations living within a 10 km radius of the power plants in Korba and samples of unexposed population of village Katghora about 20 kilometers away from Korba were compared. The findings of the health study show significantly elevated prevalence of respiratory diseases like asthma symptoms and bronchitis among the exposed population in Korba than unexposed ones in Katghora. As per the findings Asthma symptoms and bronchitis were 11.79% and 2.96% among the exposed group while 5.46% and 0.99% respectively in the unexposed group.
The study also claims that there have been anecdotal reports from the villagers about increased prevalence of skin problems, lung problems, and asthma in the region. Local farmers have reported crop damages and contamination in irrigation water which affects the paddy fields. Many farmers have been reportedly abandoning their lands due to reduced crop productivity.
Based on these findings, SHRC Chhattisgarh has made urgent health recommendations to set up a specialized health care infrastructure operated by the state health departments at polluters’ cost, under the ‘polluter pays principle’, to cater to health issues of residents in the region. Recommendations has also been made to the state to conduct a cumulative health impact study of various industries on the health of residents in the area to formulate a necessary health mitigation plan for the region.
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