Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has published a report titled The report is titled “Air quality, health and toxics impacts of the proposed coal mining and power cluster in Thar, Pakistan,” which has pointed out the great environmental and health hazar posed by the cluster of coal-fired power plants in the Thar desert.
According to CERA these coal-fired power plants could expose around 100,000 people to harmful acidic gases exceeding safe limits established by the World Health Organization. Moreover 29,000 people can potentially die from air pollution related causes over the 30-year operating life of the plants. “Other health impacts include 40,000 asthma emergency room visits, 19,900 new cases of asthma in children, 32,000 preterm births, 20 million days of work absence (sick leave) and 57,000 years lived with disability related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and stroke” the report
According to the report authored by Lauri Myllyvirta “The proposed plants would constitute one of the largest air pollutant, mercury and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission hotspots in South Asia”
