Effect of Thermal Power Plant Emissions (Madwa and NTPC Power Plants) on Paddy Crop Soil Fertility
Author : Dr. Meenakshi Chandra
Abstract :
Thermal‑power‑plant effluents and fly‑ash deposition from the Madwa power plant and NTPC power plant regions in Chhattisgarh modify the chemical prospective lands of contiguous paddy‑cultivated soils. The complex ionic fluxes carried by ash‑laden aerosols and cooling‑water discharges soil‑chemical variables such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic‑carbon content, and available macro‑nutrients (N, P, K, S). Measurements on paddy fields near these plants indicate alkaline drift, salinity increase, and trace‑metal enrichment toward the plume‑direction, thereby perturbing the chemical‑growth potential of rice. A physics‑based conventionality is proposed in which power‑plant‑affected soils are treated as non‑equilibrium systems characterized by chemical‑potential gradients, elemental flux densities, and soil‑fertility degradation exponents. This framework links power‑plant proximity and annual emission load to soil‑fertility pointers, enabling a quantitative description of the impact on paddy‑crop productivity.
Keywords :
Thermal power plant, soil fertility, paddy.
