Consultant to study high temperature in Angul-Talcher region of Odisha

Reported by Chinmaya Dehury
Bhubaneswar, Aug 14:

With the Angul-Talcher industrial belt emerging as one of the hottest regions in the state as a result of setting up of a number of mega industries in the area, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has decided to engage consultants to carry out a study on a Heat Island Effect and suggest measures for its abatement.

“We have already invited expression of interest (EoI) requesting reputed educational and research institutions for carrying out the proposed study in the Angul-Talcher region. The study will be a single assignment for a period of one year and would cover 350km,” said a senior official of OSPCB.

The official said the objective of the study is to find out the factors causing high ambient temperature in the Angul-Talcher area and suggest appropriate remedial measures to mitigate the ‘heat island’ effect.

The proposed study shall cover the Critically Polluted Area (CPA) of Angul- Talcher designated by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and any other area of major industries /mines which might have been established within close vicinity, said the official.

Angul- Talcher area, which has one of the the largest coal deposits in the country, is one of the hottest regions in Odisha where maximum summer temperature goes up to 44-46 degrees Centigrade. It is one of the oldest industrial areas in the country, which the CPCB has ranked  as the 7th most polluted area in the country based on a CEPI score of 82.09. This area is dominated with Red categories of industries like coal mining, aluminium smelting, thermal power generation, steel making etc.

“Industrial activities like steel and thermal power plants release substantial quantities of heat causing high ambient temperature. The tall infrastructures in the industrial area also provides multiple surfaces for the reflection and absorption of sunlight, increasing the efficiency with which this area is heated. Thus it is likely that heat island effect in the area is highly pronounced,” said the official.

There are several industries in the area that includes National Aluminium Company Limited, National Thermal Power Corporation, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, Fertilizer Corporation of India, Talcher Thermal Power Station, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd , Bhushan Steel and Strips Ltd and GMR Energy.