AN unchecked ecological crisis continues to unfold near Nandgaon village in Khaperkheda area as Maharashtra State Electricity Generation Company Limited’s (Mahagenco’s) Khaperkheda Thermal Power Station (KTPS) has been dumping fly ash for almost two months in a highly unscientific manner at the Nandgaon ash bund, directly violating environmental norms. Despite complaints to regulating authorities the dumping of fly ash is continue since June causing threat to water contamination in Pench River which is situated just 200 metres away from the dumping site. Local residents and farmers raising the issue repeatedly before the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) but no action has been taken so far by the board. Nandgaon fly ash bund, which is situated over 723 acre land, was acquired by Mahagenco from local residents way back in 1988 for fly ash dumping.

 

However, the bund was never used for dumping fly ash from KTPS since then. After a long time, the bund was used back in 2021 when it caused damage to agriculture fields in the vicinity, leading to crop loss for farmers. At that time, after tremendous protest by local farmers and environment activists, then State Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray directed Mahagenco to stop ash dumping in the bund. Now, after five years, the same ash bund breached in June which is continue even after almost two months without any check by authorities. On Monday, a group of cattle stuck into the dumped ash slurry which already damaged the agriculture field. After the incident, the farmers put tough time to rescue their cattle from the bund.

 

Along with this, highly turbid, toxic, ash-laden slurry is flowing directly towards and into the Pench River which is polluting the water. The Pench River is a vital source of water for regional biodiversity, wildlife, and Nagpur city. The ash-mixed slurry has also damaged adjoining agricultural fields, burying standing vegetable crops under layers of toxic silt. Local farmers are facing massive, sudden financial ruin due to industrial negligence over which they have no control. It is posing an imminent threat of heavy metal leaching into the groundwater table, risking irreversible long-term poisoning of the local soil and drinking water aquifers. Despite historical regulatory interventions and MPCB’s past directives calling for 100% fly-ash utilisation and systematic management, Mahagenco has repeatedly failed to secure its ash bund boundaries or execute safe and scientific disposal routines. The continuous structural failures (breaches and overflows) prove a lack of accountability and absolute operational negligence.