This tracker provides information on the accidents involving fly ash barges on National Waterways in India. The purple shipwreck icon in the map, when clicked gives a brief description of the capsized barges carrying fly ash, and links and references for further information.
With this tracker, we aim to bring out the number and locations of accidents involving fly ash barges on the inland waterways of India. The locations mapped are approximate based on information accessed from news articles and information accessed by Manthan through the RTI Act 2005.
At present, majority of fly ash movement through inland waterways is from Kolkata Cluster of Thermal Power Plants in India. Fly ash is exported to Bangladesh from India through National Waterway-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river systems), National Waterway-97 (Sundarban Waterways) and the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes. Many barges carrying fly ash in bulk capsize and sink in these rivers. This leads to water pollution due to spillage of toxic fly ash as well as other pollutants from the barge such as fuel oil, ballast and bilge water.
The database here is work in progress. We aim to populate it further on all inland waterways of India as we receive more information on such accidents.
To share information about the accidents of fly ash barges or any other accidents on inland waterways of India, please write to us at manthanadhyayankendra@gmail.com.