A breach at Reliance's Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project in Madhya Pradesh's Singrauli has left at least six missing and two missing from the vicinity. Reportedly, a breakage in the ash dump yard wall of the power plant pushed water from a nearby reservoir and swept away nearby houses on Friday.
Among the missing are a woman and her two children, another child and a worker at the site. A woman and another man have been injured. The victims were swept up in a flow of fly ash, which travelled at least six kilometres, swallowing up whole agricultural fields along the way.
“The sludge flowed from the dyke and then mixed with a stream, which carried it further,” said Singrauli district collector K.V.S. Chaudhary. Fly ash is a powdery byproduct of burning pulverised coal.
“The injured have been hospitalised and their condition is stable. The relief work is going on a war footing. A survey will be conducted to provide compensation to the villagers and action will be taken against those responsible for the incident,” the Hindustan Times reported citing Chaudhary.
The project is 780 kilometres northeast of the state capital of Bhopal. Singrauli houses various power projects, including NTPC, Coal India, Reliance Power and Essar Power. This is the third such incident in the district within a year.
“We are deeply anguished by the incident involving the break in the ash dump yard wall at our Sasan Power Plant… We are investigating the reasons underlying the incident. The power plant operations will continue as the relief and restoration work is not affected by the same,” Sasan Power said in a statement.
