Walk against Jamshoro Coal Power Plant

On 13th September 2024 (Friday), at 3:30pm
From Old Campus of University of Sindh to Hyderabad Press Club

Thermal power—electricity generated by fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal—causes a range of
hazardous impacts on the environment and public health. It involves air pollution, water
contamination, land degradation, biodiversity losses and serious diseases and ailments.
Jamshoro Thermal Power Station (JTPS), hosting a number of thermal power plants, is
increasingly becoming a hotspot of the health and environmental problems caused by the
combustion of fossil fuels.
The communities living in the close vicinity of JTPS have already been facing serious issues of
land degradation and vegetation loss induced by existing thermal power plants. Farmers and
herders are especially affected by land degradation and vegetation induced by thermal power
generation in Jamshoro.
Disposal of wastewater released by these thermal power plants into the Indus is poisoning the
river water. Depleting fish population in the Indus has already become a serious concern of the
local fisherfolk depending upon fishing for their sustenance. Poisoning of river water is causing
serious health problems for the local communities depending on Indus for drinking water..
To add to the miseries of local communities, a newly established coal-fired thermal power plant
at JTPS, namely Jamshoro Power Generation Project (JPGP), is going to become operational in
near future. Its trial operations have already started. In the months to come, the JPGP will start
its regular operations and go online.
The JPGP will not only exacerbate the existing thermal power plants related issues of land
degradation and water contamination but also substantially increase air pollution in the area.
After the JPGP becomes operational, the local communities will not be the only sufferers of air
pollution.
The toxic air pollutants such as particulate matter and fly ash to be released by JPGP will also
affect the citizens of Jamshoro and Hyderabad in general and the students, faculty and staff
members of the universities and other academic institutions located in the close vicinity of the
plant in particular.
Ironically, this disastrous coal-fired power plant is funded by a regional lending agency, Asia
Development Bank (ADB), that is championing a transition away from coal and other fossil fuels
in the Asia region.
The representatives of local communities, farmers, herders, fisherfolk, students, academia,
media and civil society have serious social and environmental concerns about the ADB-funded
coal-fired JPGP. To raise their concerns, they held a walk against Jamshoro coal-fired power
plant.