India fly ash utilisation and the Singrauli ash dam breach
- 6 people died.Singrauli ash dam breach, April 2020.
- Government and regulators Central Electricity Authority: Reported 307 million tonnes utilised in 2024–25, 96.34% of the ash generated. Powerline (reporting a Central Electricity Authority report)
- Press and investigations Deccan Herald (CPCB data): For 2021–22, 13.14% of the use was low-lying area filling. Deccan Herald
- Press and investigations Scroll.in: "Low-lying area" has no definition, and more than half of industry did not comply with the rules. Scroll.in
India's official figures count about 96% of fly ash as utilised. In 2021–22, 13.14% of that was low-lying area filling, a term without a definition. In April 2020 an ash dam breached in Singrauli and six people died.
Of 270.82 million tonnes; 13.14% of the use was low-lying area filling (CPCB, via Deccan Herald).
Status As of March 2026: official data report 96.34% fly ash utilisation for 2024–25; no ruling or official finding on the 2020 Singrauli breach found.
- Power stations — Report high utilisation rates; the sources do not state a financial gain Powerline (reporting a Central Electricity Authority report)
- Villages and water sources near Singrauli — Six deaths; homes and water reservoir affected Mongabay India
- Water reservoir at Singrauli — Contaminated by fly ash slurry Mongabay India
What happened
India's Central Electricity Authority reported that 307 million tonnes of fly ash were utilised in 2024–25, 96.34% of the ash generated, according to Powerline. In one group of power stations the rate was 30%.
For 2021–22, the Deccan Herald reported that 96% of 270.82 million tonnes of fly ash was counted as utilised, and that 13.14% of the use was filling of low-lying areas.
Scroll.in reported in 2021 that "low-lying area" has no definition and that more than half of industry did not comply with the rules.
In April 2020 an ash dam breached in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. Six people died. Mongabay India reported that fly ash slurry contaminated a water reservoir, and that it was the third such incident in the region in a year.
- 2020April: Singrauli ash dam breach; six dead; third incident in the region in a year
- 2021Scroll.in reports that "low-lying area" has no definition
- 20222021–22: 96% of 270.82 Mt counted as utilised; 13.14% of use was low-lying area filling
- 2026March: report on 2024–25 shows 307 Mt utilised (96.34%)
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Reported 307 million tonnes utilised in 2024–25, 96.34% of the ash generated.
Powerline (reporting a Central Electricity Authority report)For 2021–22, 13.14% of the use was low-lying area filling.
Deccan Herald"Low-lying area" has no definition, and more than half of industry did not comply with the rules.
Scroll.inHow it looked
Shown
- 96% fly ash utilisation in 2021–22; 96.34% in 2024–25Central Electricity Authority and Central Pollution Control Board data, as reported by Powerline and Deccan Herald · Powerline (reporting a Central Electricity Authority report)
Recorded
- 307 Mt of fly ash utilised in 2024–25 (96.34%); one group of power stations at 30%
- 13.14% of 2021–22 ash use was low-lying area filling
- "Low-lying area" has no definition; more than half of industry did not comply with the rules
- Singrauli ash dam breach, April 2020: six dead; reservoir contaminated by fly ash slurry
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Disputed Does a 96% utilisation figure mean the ash was put to productive use?
Record
- None on record "Low-lying area" has no official definition (Scroll.in, 2021).
- Unclear Whether the counted utilisation is disposed ash or productive use is not separated in the figures reported.
Did the harm stop?
The sources reviewed do not say whether ash dam breaches or the filling of low-lying areas with ash have stopped.
Who paid?
The sources reviewed do not record who paid for the Singrauli breach; six people died and a water reservoir was contaminated.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Report on Ash Generation and Utilization for Grid-Connected Thermal Power Stations for the Year 2024–25Powerline (reporting a Central Electricity Authority report) · 2026-03-26
- Green board asks Karnataka officials to monitor fly ash utilisationDeccan Herald · 2023
- Fly ash slurry in Singrauli contaminates water reservoir after taking lives and homesMongabay India · 2020-04
Connected cases
- India EPR fake certificates India · 2023
- Central Pollution Control Board (India) (Public authority) — here: Pollution regulator; ash data; there: Regulator that identified the fake certificates