reduced power supply after a damaged fly ash dam in Korba

korba Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh , Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa are coping with reduced power supply after a damaged fly ash dam in Korba grounded power generation at four units of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

In Dhanras village, not too far from the NTPC's Korba power station, a bleak wasteland of grey extends in an endless and forbidding expanse above the village. Here, a maze of pipelines disgorges slurry saturated with fly ash over 4.5 sq km of raised ground enclosed within high embankment walls.

Fly ash is a powdery grey hazardous byproduct when coal is burnt to produce power. Deposited in the form of slurry at Dhanras, NTPC's only ash dam site, it dries into layers of grey dust, as an industrial sized sieve consisting of an inclined wall called spillway separates the ash from water.

Korba district is situated in the northern half of the Chhattisgarh state and surrounded by the districts Korea, Surguja, bilaspur, Janjgir etc. The headquarter of Korba districts situated about 200 KM. from the capital city Raipur. Korba district was accorded the status of a full fledged revenue district with effect from 25 May, 1998. The district headquarters is Korba city, which is situated on the banks of the confluence of rivers Hasdeo and Ahiran. Korba District falls under the hot temperate climate zone and hence the district experiences very hot and dry. Summer season starts from April to mid June. Rainy season due to the South-West Mansoon is from mid June till the end of September. The average rainfall in the district is 1506.7 mm. and normal rainfall is 1287.6 mm. Korba is also the site of an aluminium facility operated by Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO). TRAIN CONNECTIVITY Korba is connected to major Indian cities : Korba - Visakhapatnam, Link Express Korba - Yeswantpur, Wain Ganga Express Korba - Amritsar, Chhattisgarh Express Gevra Road - Nagpur, Shivnath Express Korba - Trivandrum, Trivandrum Express The city is directly connected to Raipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Visakhapatnam and Nagpur. Korba still lacks direct rail connectivity with prominent major cities like Mumbai, Howrah, Delhi, Indore, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur Ahmadabad, tata nagar etc. Demands For New Trains There are heavy demands to connect Korba with Western and Central Indian cities by trains. The important services includes : Korba - Howrah Express Korba - Delhi Express Korba - Indore Express (Daily) Korba - Durg - Jaipur Express (Daily) Korba - Habibganj (Bhopal) Express Via Bilaspur - Katni (Daily) Korba - Lucknow Express (Weekly) Korba - Rewa Express (Daily) Korba - Guwahati Super Fast (Daily) Korba - Puri Super Fast (Daily) Korba - Ahmadabad express Korba - MACHILIPATNAM express Health Facilities And Hospitals Govt 100 bed hospital, Rajgamar Road, Korba NCH Hospital(ISO certified) , Gevra Project(SECL) Public Health Centre. Civil Hospital. Ankur Disabled Child Special School Korba Hospital (KOSABADI) Shweta Nursing Home, P.H. Road Korba Sahu Hospital, Indra Vihar Korba Dr. Pramod Thawait Clinic, P.H.Road Korba Krishna Hospital,Kosabadi,Korba

The Hasdeo and Ahiran River primarily drains Korba District.

The Hasdeo and Ahiran River primarily drains Korba District. Lush virgin forests cover the region, the opulent variety of flora including the: Sal Dhaora Kardhai Saliha Char Dhobin Tendu Amla Lendia Gunja Mahua Bija Kusum Bhelwa Jamun Harra Bahera Saja Korba experiences a hot, arid temperate climate and receives an average 1506.7 mm rainfall annually. With its headquarters in Korba City, the district is divided into Korba, Katghora, Kartala, Pali tehsils and Korba, Kartala, Katghora, Pali, Podi Uproda blocks. Naturally endowed with mineral resources like limestone, fireclay, etc it all possesses all the key ingredients required for thermal power generation. The Thermal Power Plants (KSTPS, BCPP, CSEB East, CSEB West) together generates 3650 MW of electricity. Transport and communication is also well developed in this industrial district. The 2001 Census has recorded a population size of 10,11,823 with 964 males per 1000 females and a commendable literacy rate of 61.7%. The populace is dominated by the Pahari Korwa tribe while the Gond, Raj Gond, Kawar, Bhaiyana, Binjwar, Dhanuhar etc. Satnami, Ganda and Panka are the significant scheduled tribes. Conversant in the local Chattisgarhi dialect, the tribals lead colorful lives. The principal Adivasi dance forms include the Ravat Nacha, Karma Nacha and Suva Nacha. The tribals mainly depend on agriculture for their subsistence. Korba District, the Industrial hub of Chattisgarh is renown for its black diamond and Kosa silk industry. Endowed with mineral deposit it has a widespread inustrial area spread over 100 acres with several inustrites and ancilliary units. The major industries include: Bharat Aluminum Company Limited (BALCO) Korba Super Thermal Power Station (KSTPS) South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) Chhattisgarh State Electricty Board (CSEB) Indo-Burma Petroleum Limited (IBP), Gopalpur Indo-Burma Petroleum Limited (IBP), Kushmunda Indo Gulf Industries, Gobarghora Hasdeo Thermal Power Corporation. The Gavra Project in Kobra District is largest Opencast Mine in India. Korba abounds in natural beauty. The panoramic beauty of Chaiturgarh hills housing the majestic forts of the illustrious Pratidewa I and the pristine Mahisansur Mardini temples are worth visiting. Besides the industrial units also attract droves of tourists. Tourists also drop by to participate in the tribal festivities of Dev Uthni, Pola, Cherchera, Karma, Hareli etc and gain an insight to their cultural legacy. Korba District lays emphasis on a comprehensive education system. The Indira Soochana Yojana is responsible for the widespread proliferation of education in the District. Bestowed with several good schools, colleges, polytechnic and other industrial training institutes the district offers quality education focusing on the student's overall development . Some of the district's premier academic institutes include Govt. P.G College, Korba, Mini Mata Girls College, Korba and Kamala Nehru P.G College, Korba. Korba District, an amalgam of primitive tribal culture, resplendent natural beauty and urban industrial enterprise is worth a fruitful visit.

KORBA (CHHATTISGARH): reduced power supply after a damaged fly ash dam in Korba

KORBA (CHHATTISGARH): For nearly a month, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa are coping with reduced power supply after a damaged fly ash dam in Korba grounded power generation at four units of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). In the first week of September, as torrential rains pelted down, the heaps of ash at Dhanras acquired the force of floods, cracking the spillway wall. The pond water overflowed and contaminated nearby paddy fields. The company was forced to stop fly ash disposal to prevent more spillage. With no alternative site for ash disposal, production in four units came to a grinding halt. For the first time in three decades, production at NTPC's Korba station has dipped to just 200MW.