Ennore Thermal Power Station expansion will flood North Chennai, warns study

CHENNAI: Amid the ongoing opposition of residents around Ennore and Manali over the expansion of Ennore Thermal Power Station (ETPS) citing air pollution, an independent researcher has identified that the site earmarked to set up the plant is a flood-prone and low-lying area.

Shanthala Ramesh, the researcher, said that ETPS is located in a very low-lying land. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project stated that the altitude of the 237-acre land varies between 0 m (Above Mean Sea Level) to 20 m (AMSL). She added the EIA only talks about the altitudes of the 237 acres but it fails to give the altitudes of the larger 294 acre 'ash ponds'.

“Though the EIA identifies the mainland (237 acres) as a 'low-lying land', its figures are under-represented. The reason for this underrepresentation could be them using low-resolution SRTM 90m Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data instead of the 30m DEM that we have used. They were negligent in not mentioning the resolution of the DEM but chose to mention just the name of the DEM provider namely SRTM,” the research said.

The research also alleged that the EIA had misled concerning the site’s proximity to Kosasthalaiyar River. The EIA stated that the proposed site is more than 500m away from the sea and the river is around 575m away from the project site. “The first statement is correct. The site is located 776 to 859 meters away from the Sea. However, the second statement is a blatant lie. The distance between the mainland and the river ranges between 62m to 117m. The ash ponds are located 86 to 215m from the river and the CRZ-I zone,” Shanthala Ramesh points out.

Moreover, altering the altitude of the land from 3m below mean sea level to 9.15m above sea level will increase the stress on the river-canal-tidal flow at the Sadayankuppam-Ernavur tri-junction.

“An increased backflow in the south direction due to the obstruction caused by the expansion of the ETPS site would flood the Manali Industrial Area, Kodungaiyur Dumpyard, and the adjoining locations. The entire landmass from Peravallur, Ambattur, Perambur, Tiru-Vi-Ka Nagar, Madhavaram, and Tiruvottiyur, where drains depend solely on the North Buckingham Canal, would face difficulties due to the backflow from the filled up ETPS Site that will cause stress in the flow of the Buckingham Canal at the Tri-Junction,” the research report warned.