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Time of India
6 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Want to keep warm in Himalayan winter? Pass the salt
Representative image For three months every year, the Himalayan north is in the grip of a quiet war against the freezing cold. It's the kind of chill that makes diesel heaters less a convenience and more a necessity. The irony is cruel: up there, on the roof of the world, the summer sun is generous, pouring its gold over barren peaks. But once it leaves, it leaves nothing behind. But what if the mountains could hold onto their summer warmth instead? What if the heat of June can be bottled and uncorked in Jan? A team of scientists from IIT Bombay and National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, thinks it's possible. And the trick, they say, lies in a salt. Strontium bromide, a chalky white salt, when heated, releases water and stores that energy as chemical bonds. When cold returns, and moisture is reintroduced, the salt rehydrates, releasing heat. They call it a thermochemical reactor. The IIT Bombay team wants to use this principle to create seasonal 'heat banks' for Himalayan homes — simple, safe, and sustainable. Like an ember tucked under ash, strontium bromide would hold onto the balmy feeling of summer, waiting patiently through the long Himalayan cold, before discharging it again. In the lab, this transformation worked perfectly across six full cycles — summer to winter and back again. The team says it can go through hundreds more. The idea was born of a personal experience. Rudrodip Majumdar, an associate professor (energy, environment and climate change programme) at National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, remembers standing on the snowdusted trail to Tungnath, a biting wind on his back. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo 'The stars were beautiful,' he recalls. 'But people here walked miles to gather firewood. Diesel was all they had. And the generator made a lot of smoke and noise.' That night stayed with him. So, he and his colleagues designed a module small enough to stand beside an LPG cylinder, strong enough to warm a Himalayan home for four bone-chilling months. It is a self-contained unit: a solar collector, a reactor chamber filled with strontium bromide, an air circulation system, and sturdy insulation lined with glass wool. No smoke, no sound, no moving parts, no mess. It works on endothermic (heat absorbing) and exothermic (heat releasing) reactions. When hot air is sent into the reactor, the salt changes to a monohydrate form by releasing water and absorbs heat. When moisture is reintroduced, it reconverts to the hexahydrate form by releasing heat. The absorption and release of heat happens through making and breaking of hydrogen bonds of the salt crystals. The studies on reactor configuration and performance have been published in the peer-reviewed scientific journals 'Applied Thermal Engineering' and 'Renewable Energy'. The reactor performance can be controlled through geometrical configurations, choice of thermochemical material (reactive salts), as well as flow arrangements. 'You can get these modules in Gujarat or Rajasthan and ship them to the hills,' says Sandip Kumar Saha, mechanical engineering professor at IIT-B, who led the study, which had postdoctoral fellow Kalpana Singh and PhD scholar Ankush Shankar Pujari as part of the team. Chandramouli Subramaniam, a chemistry professor and a member of the IIT-B team, says the Indian Army has shown interest in the module. The team has partnered with a startup enterprise to carry out field trials at altitudes of 13,000ft for the Army. The economics too makes sense. Diesel-based heating in remote areas can cost up to ₹78 per kWh when environmental penalties are factored in. The salt-based system costs as little as ₹31 per kWh in Leh. Challenges remain. The system is yet to be tested in homes. Summer sunlight and winter humidity vary across the Himalayas. Initial costs are high. But Majumdar insists the dream is worth chasing. 'Energy poverty should not exist in the 21st century. The remotest parts of the country should be made energy secure' he says. He hopes the system will ensure no child has to study by diesel fumes, and no woman has to walk miles in the snow for firewood. He is true to his salt. The reactive salt (strontium bromide hexahydrate) is stored in a steel case called the 'open thermochemical reactor' CHARGING | When hot air is sent into the reactor, each molecule of strontium bromide hexahydrate releases five water molecules and turns into strontium bromide monohydrate which absorbs the heat. This dehydration process is endothermic. DISCHARGING | When moist air at ambient temperature is sent into the charged reactor, the monohydrate salt absorbs the moisture and returns to its hexahydrate form, releasing heat. This rehydration process is exothermic. The released heat is carried by the air flowing through the reactor to heat the surroundings
The Star
07-07-2025
- General
- The Star
Power plays, parched lives
APRIL marks the start of the cruellest months for residents of Solapur, a parched district in western India. As temperatures soar, water becomes scarce. In the peak of summer, some residents wait more than a week for their taps to run. Just a decade ago, the situation wasn't as dire. Water flowed into homes every other day, according to local authorities and long-time residents. But that changed in 2017, when a massive coal-fired power plant run by state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) began operating. The 1,320mW plant brought energy to the region – and a powerful new competitor for water. It draws from the same reservoir that supplies local communities, deepening shortages and stoking resentment. Employee's performing cooling operations where coal is stored at the NTPC power plant (left) in Solapur. — Reuters A woman cycling past the NTPC power plant in Solapur. — Reuters Solapur is now a case study in a growing national dilemma: how to balance soaring energy demands with dwindling water supplies. India holds 17% of the world's population but has access to only 4% of its water resources. And yet, it is doubling down on coal. According to a government power ministry document seen by Reuters, the country plans to invest nearly US$80bil by 2031 in new coal-fired plants – the majority of which are slated for India's driest regions. The document, which is not public, is used by officials to track the progress of thermal projects. Of the 44 new coal projects on the list, 37 are in areas the government categorises as either water-scarce or water-stressed. NTPC, which reports that 98.5% of its water usage comes from such areas, is involved in nine of them. 'Problems come up much later,' said Shripad Dharmadhikary, founder of Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, a research centre focused on water and energy. 'But the push for big infrastructure is politically attractive.' NTPC told Reuters it is 'continuously striving towards conservation of water with best of our efforts in Solapur,' including using treated and recycled water. It did not respond to questions about possible expansion plans. The power ministry has previously told Parliament that locations for coal plants are chosen based on land and water access. But according to water researchers and officials with the Central Ground Water Board, land availability usually takes precedence. 'Developers look for areas with easy land availability – minimum resistance for maximum land – even if water is far away,' said Rudrodip Majumdar, an energy and environment professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru. India's arcane land laws can delay projects for years. So energy companies, under pressure to meet rising electricity demand, often opt for remote regions like Solapur where land is easier to secure. Authorities from the power ministry and water departments in Maharashtra, where Solapur is located, did not respond to requests for comment. A man cleaning out a small well in Chandrapur. — Reuters 'Nothing' in Solapur? Rajani Thoke, a Solapur resident and mother of two, has built her routine around water scarcity. 'On days when water comes, I don't focus on anything else – I store water, wash clothes, do all the essential work,' she said. The Solapur plant was approved in 2008 by then federal power minister Sushilkumar Shinde, even though the area had already been labelled water-scarce. Shinde, now in the opposition Congress party, said he helped NTPC acquire land by brokering payments for local farmers. He argued that the US$1.34bil plant brought jobs – thousands during construction and around 2,500 part-time positions now – and blamed local authorities for mismanaging water distribution. 'There was nothing in Solapur in 2008,' Shinde said. 'And I made sure farmers got good money.' City official Sachin Ombase admitted that water infrastructure hasn't kept pace with population growth, but said the municipality is working to fix it. Yet signs of water conflict were apparent even before the plant came online. Its first unit was delayed by over a year due to chronic water shortages. In the end, the plant had to source water from a reservoir some 120km away – a costly arrangement prone to theft and loss, experts said. According to a 2023 federal report, the Solapur station ranks among India's least water-efficient coal plants. It also has one of the lowest capacity utilisation rates. According to a 2023 federal report, the Solapur station ranks among India's least water-efficient coal plants. It also has one of the lowest capacity utilisation rates. —Reuters NTPC countered that its internal data shows efficiency within national norms. In general, Indian thermal plants use about twice as much water as their global counterparts, according to the Centre for Science and Environment, a Delhi-based think tank. In March, plant officials told reporters that utilisation would rise with increasing power demand – implying that water usage would also climb. Meanwhile, a survey by state groundwater authorities indicates that Solapur's irrigation demand already outstrips supply by about 33%. Dharmes Waghmore, who owns farmland near the power station, said he'd like to develop his land and become self-sufficient. But digging a bore well is risky. 'What if there's no water?' he said. For Kuladeep Jangam, a senior local official, water scarcity has stymied Solapur's development. 'The lack of water neutralises all other pull factors for business,' he said. People wait for their turn to fill containers with drinking water inside the Mahagenco Super Thermal Power Plant campus in Chandrapur. — Reuters A thirsty future Since 2014, India has lost 60.33 billion units of coal-fired electricity generation – equivalent to about 19 days of national supply – because plants were forced to shut down due to water shortages, government records show. Among the worst affected is the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station, about 500km northeast of Solapur. One of India's largest coal plants, it frequently shuts multiple units during weak monsoons. Despite this, Chandrapur is planning to expand its capacity by 800MW, according to the same internal power ministry document. Six sources at Mahagenco, the state-run operator, confirmed the plans – though the plant has yet to identify a water source for the expansion. Mahagenco did not respond to questions. The power ministry document indicates the plant already has coal secured. Tensions with local communities have flared in the past. In 2017, during a severe drought, residents protested to demand that water be diverted from the plant to their homes. Local lawmaker Sudhir Mungantiwar intervened, ordering the plant to release water. Despite that history, Mungantiwar said he supports the expansion – hoping it will replace older, thirstier units. However, plans to retire two polluting, water-guzzling units have been repeatedly postponed, reportedly at the urging of the federal government amid post-pandemic power demand. Chandrapur resident Anjali, who like many in the area uses only one name, now fetches water from a public tap near the station. 'We're poor,' she said. 'We make do with whatever we can get.' — Reuters
India Today
26-06-2025
- Science
- India Today
A warmer winter for army camps and hill homes in Himalayas, thanks to IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay has found a solution for people living in harsh winter conditions in the Himalayan region. The institute has come up with an innovation that begins with sunlight alone -- no electricity or external power required. For nearly three months each year, temperatures fall far below zero in the homes rely on diesel heaters to stay warm, but diesel is costly and must be transported through dangerous mountain study from IIT Bombay introduces a solar-based heating system that stores energy using a chemical called strontium bromide. This system captures heat in summer and releases it during winter --,just like a battery stores POWERED SALT SYSTEM TO WARM HIMALAYAN HOMES FOR MONTHSHere's how it works: Solar air collectors heat air during summer. This hot air warms up strontium bromide hexahydrate, causing it to lose water molecules and store heat in a dry, 'charged' winter, moist air passed through the salt triggers a reverse reaction, releasing the stored heat into the Rudrodip Majumdar, who worked on the project, said the idea was inspired by his time trekking in the Himalayas. 'I've seen people walk miles to collect firewood. Diesel is the only option, but it pollutes,' he team built a prototype that can store up to 500 kilowatt-hours of energy -- enough to heat a small home for four HEAT UNITS MAY SOON REPLACE DIESEL IN REMOTE HOMES AND ARMY POSTSThe system is compact, about the size of two LPG cylinders, and built to withstand cold climates. It doesn't need to be replaced often and can go through hundreds of to Dr. Sandip Kumar Saha, who led the study, these units could be 'charged' in sunny states like Rajasthan and transported to hill towns before winter. 'Solar collectors are not new. But storing seasonal heat in a chemical form for later -- that's the innovation,' he study found the Levelized Cost of Heating (LCOH) using this system to be as low as Rs 31 per kWh in Leh -- much cheaper than diesel heating when transport and carbon emissions are factored in.'This technology can bring cleaner, long-lasting warmth to India's coldest corners,' Dr. Majumdar the progress, the system needs real-world testing. Challenges like upfront costs and climate variations the team is confident it could soon help not just civilians, but also Indian Army camps stationed at high altitudes.- EndsMust Watch
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
IIT Bombay scientists develop solar heat battery for freezing Himalayan homes
In a breakthrough that could reshape winter heating in India's cold desert regions, such as snow-covered Leh, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have developed a solar-powered thermal battery that can store summer heat for use in the harsh Himalayan winters. This heat storage system could offer a cleaner, long-term alternative to diesel heaters, which are carbon-heavy machines powered by costly fuel that must be trucked over perilous winter roads. In a recent study, the team of researchers: Ankush Shankar Pujari, Rudrodip Majumdar, Chandramouli Subramaniam and Sandip K. Saha have proposed using strontium bromide in a thermochemical storage system that aims to provide a clean and sustainable alternative to diesel heaters in high-altitude regions like Leh, where winter temperatures remain below freezing for months and households rely heavily on diesel heaters, an expensive and polluting option. 'Energy poverty shouldn't exist in the 21st century,' said Dr. Rudrodip Majumdar, a co-author of the study who worked on this project as a postdoctoral fellow at IIT Bombay and currently at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS). 'We've seen people walk kilometers to collect firewood. Diesel becomes the only backup, but it's costly and harmful.' How it works Strontium bromide has been the subject of many studies examining thermochemical storage. Much like a battery stores electricity, thermochemical storage stores heat in the form of chemical energy. Strontium bromide is chosen for its high energy density, chemical stability, non-toxicity, non-explosiveness, and environmental safety. The researchers developed a prototype that first uses solar thermal air collectors which harness sunlight to heat air in the summer. Next, this hot air is used to warm up a form of hydrated strontium bromide (hexahydrate). In this form, the strontium bromide crystals contain water molecules within their structure. During this heating process, the material undergoes an endothermic dehydration reaction, in which heat energy is absorbed, causing the expulsion of water molecules from its crystal structure. This reaction stores the absorbed solar energy as chemical potential in the resulting monohydrate salt. In winter, moist air passes through the charged salt, triggering a reverse reaction or rehydration. The process reintroduces the water molecules into the structure in an exothermic reaction, releasing the stored heat. Mr. Majumdar said that the technology is a sustainable solution in Himalayan regions, which face long, frigid winters. The population has limited access to sustainable heating options and usually depends on diesel or firewood. Therefore, what makes thermochemical storage particularly suited to these regions is its ability to retain energy over several months. Sharing his personal experience that led to the research, he said, 'I went to the Chopta-Tungnath-Chandrashila trek and stayed in camps. The starry nights in the Himalayas are beautiful, but the night stay can turn very hostile. I've seen people struggling, walking ten kilometers just to collect firewood. Diesel becomes the only backup, but it's a heavy polluter.' Cost-efficient and carbon saving To help the communities, a module capable of storing about 500 kilowatt-hours of energy was designed, enough energy to heat a small Himalayan home for up to four months, the team said. The whole setup consists of a simple, modular unit designed to be easy to transport and operate. It includes solar thermal collectors that heat air during summer, a reactor chamber filled with strontium bromide salt, and a small air circulation system to trigger dehydration and rehydration cycles. The reactor components are housed in a compact, weatherproof unit designed for Himalayan conditions and are insulated using glass wool. 'Solar collectors are well-proven. Steel tanks have been made for years. The only new contribution is stabilising the thermochemical material and packaging it for daily life. This kind of long-term seasonal storage is made possible because the energy stored in the material is very stable. It does not degrade over time,' added Dr. Majumdar. The modest module doesn't take up the entire room, either. According to Sandip Kumar Saha from IIT Bombay, who led the study, 'Each storage module is roughly the size of two LPG cylinders and designed to be portable. They can be recharged in the summer at solar stations—possibly even in sunnier regions like Gujarat or Rajasthan—and trucked up to Himalayan towns just before winter.' 'Once you deploy this material, you don't need to change it. If you maintain the reactor with basic precautions, the operation and maintenance costs will come down. These are very sturdy reactors,' added Dr. Majumdar. The team said they have already tested the material through six full charging and discharging cycles in the lab, with no performance degradation. Thermochemical salts like strontium bromide are theoretically capable of 500 to 600 cycles, that means each unit could last years. While the upfront investment may be higher than diesel heaters, the study finds that thermochemical systems are more economical over time—especially in remote regions where diesel prices are inflated due to transportation costs and where the environmental impact, or potential penalties from carbon emissions, adds to the overall burden. 'If we want to produce electricity from diesel today, it will cost us ₹50 per unit (kWh). If we add a carbon penalty, it could go up to ₹78 per unit. Then the thermochemical solution will be half the price,' Mr. Majumdar said. The study calculated the thermochemical systems' Levelized Cost of Heating (LCOH), the average cost of producing usable heat over the lifetime of a heating system, to be between ₹33–₹51 per kWh in different Himalayan cities. This cost makes it competitive with or cheaper than diesel heating for daily use, especially when factoring in fuel transport and environmental costs. In Leh specifically, LCOH dropped to ₹31/kWh, the lowest among all locations (Darjeeling, Shillong, Dehradun, Shimla, Jammu, Srinagar, Manali, and Leh) studied. Dr. Chandramouli Subramaniam from IIT Bombay explained, 'Such solar-thermal energy solutions for space-heating have been successfully tested in harsh climatic conditions for the Indian army at sub-zero temperatures. We are in the process of developing thermal storage solutions for round-the-year, smoke-free heating to camps for our Indian army stationed at such high altitudes.' Internationally, thermochemical storage has only been piloted in places like Germany, with limited large-scale adoption. In India, practical deployment in homes is yet to be tested, and initial costs remain relatively high compared to diesel heaters. The system also relies on adequate summer sunlight to charge the salt and sufficient winter humidity to release the stored heat—factors that vary across Himalayan regions. Still, the researchers believe that with field trials, policy support, and local engagement, technology can become a crucial part of a more sustainable and inclusive energy future.
Straits Times
09-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
India's $103 billion coal-power boom is running short of water
Since 2014, India has lost 60.33 billion units of coal-power generation due to water shortages. PHOTO: REUTERS CHANDRAPUR/SOLAPUR, India - April marks the start of the cruelest months for residents of Solapur, a hot and dry district in western India. As temperatures soar, water availability dwindles. In peak summer, the wait for taps to flow can stretch to a week or more. Just a decade ago, water flowed every other day, according to the local government and residents of Solapur, some 400km inland from Mumbai. Then in 2017, a 1,320 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant run by state-controlled NTPC began operations. It provided the district with energy - and competed with residents and businesses for water from a reservoir that serves the area. Solapur illustrates the Catch-22 facing India, which has 17 per cent of the planet's population but access to only 4 per cent of its water resources. The world's most populous country plans to spend nearly US$80 billion (S$103 billion) on water-hungry coal plants by 2031 to power growing industries like data center operations. The vast majority of these new projects are planned for India's driest areas, according to a power ministry document reviewed by Reuters, which is not public and was created for officials to track progress. Many of the 20 people interviewed by Reuters for this story, which included power company executives, energy officials and industry analysts, said the thermal expansion likely portended future conflict between industry and residents over limited water resources. Thirty-seven of the 44 new projects named in the undated power ministry shortlist of future operations are located in areas that the government classifies as either suffering from water scarcity or stress. NTPC, which says it draws 98.5 per cent of its water from water-stressed areas, is involved in nine of them. NTPC said in response to Reuters' questions that it is 'continuously striving towards conservation of water with best of our efforts in Solapur', including using methods like treating and reusing water. It did not answer queries about potential expansion plans. India's power ministry has told lawmakers in parliament, most recently in 2017, that the locations of coal-fired power plants are determined by factors including access to land and water and that state governments are responsible for allocating water to them. Access to land is the dominant consideration, two federal groundwater board officials and two water researchers told Reuters. India's complex and arcane land laws have delayed many commercial and infrastructure projects for years, so power operators under pressure to meet burgeoning demand pick areas where they are likely to face little resistance, said Dr Rudrodip Majumdar, an energy and environment professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies in Bengaluru. 'They look for areas with easy land availability - minimum resistance for maximum land - even if water is available only far away,' he said. The federal power ministry, as well as energy and water authorities in Maharashtra state, where Solapur is located, did not respond to queries. Delhi attempted to reduce its reliance on coal before reversing track after the Covid-19 pandemic. It has invested heavily in renewable energy sources like solar and hydro, but thirsty thermal power will still be dominant for the coming decades. India's former top energy bureaucrat Ram Vinay Shahi said ready access to power was strategically important for the country, whose per-capita power consumption is far lower than its regional rival China. 'The only energy resource we have in the country is coal,' he said. 'Between water and coal, preference is given to coal.' 'Nothing' in Solapur? Solapur resident Rajani Thoke plans her life around water in high summer. On days with supply, 'I do not focus on anything other than storing water, washing clothes and such work,' said the mother of two, who strictly polices her family's water use. Mr Sushilkumar Shinde, the federal power minister who approved the Solapur plant in 2008, when the area had already been classified 'water scarce', told Reuters he helped NTPC procure the land by negotiating payments to locals. The member of the opposition Congress party, who won election to retain Solapur's parliamentary seat a year after the plant's approval, defended the operation on grounds of NTPC's sizable investment. The US$1.34 billion plant generated thousands of jobs during its construction and now provides part-time employment to about 2,500 locals. 'I made sure farmers got good money for the land NTPC acquired,' he said, adding that mismanagement by local authorities was to blame for water shortages. A girl covers a pot filled with water with a plastic sheet to protect it from dust in Solapur, India. PHOTO: REUTERS Solapur municipal official Sachin Ombase acknowledged that water distribution infrastructure had not kept up with population growth, but said that authorities were trying to address the problem. Mr Shinde said 'there was nothing' in Solapur in 2008 and that residents who received land payments had no reason to oppose the plant. Researcher Shripad Dharmadhikary, who founded environment advocacy group Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, said local politicians often supported splashy infrastructure projects to boost their popularity. Any 'problems come up much later', he said. Even before the Solapur plant started operating, there were signs of the trouble to come. The first of its two units was supposed to start generating power by the middle of 2016, but it was delayed by more than 12 months because of years of severe water shortages, according to a 2020 regulatory filing. The absence of nearby water resources meant the station ended up drawing on water from a reservoir about 120km away. Such distances can sharply increase costs and the risk of water theft, said Mr Dharmadhikary and two plant sources. As of May 2023, the station is among India's least water-efficient, according to the latest available federal records. It also has among the lowest capacity utilisation rates of coal-fired plants, according to data from government think-tank Niti Aayog. NTPC said its data indicates the Solapur plant has an efficiency ratio in line with the country's norms. Indian stations typically consume twice as much water as their global counterparts, according to the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment think-tank. Solapur plant officials told reporters in March that capacity utilisation will improve with increasing demand, indicating that water consumption could surge in the future. A forthcoming survey on water use in Solapur led by state groundwater authorities and reviewed by Reuters showed that irrigation demand in the district outstrips supply by a third. Mr Dharmes Waghmore owns farmland a few miles from the plant and said that developing it would provide more financial security than his current casual work. But he said borrowing money to develop the land by drilling a bore well is too risky: 'What if there's no water?' Mr Kuladeep Jangam, a top local official, said authorities were struggling to draw businesses to Solapur. The lack of 'water neutralises all other pull factors,' he said. Thirst for water Since 2014, India has lost 60.33 billion units of coal-power generation across the country - equivalent to 19 days of coal-power supply at June 2025 levels - because water shortages force plants to suspend generation, according to federal data. Among the facilities that have struggled with shortages is the 2,920MW Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station, one of India's largest. Located about 500km north-east of Solapur but also in a water-stressed area, the plant shuts several of its units for months at a time when the monsoon delivers less rain than usual, according to Niti Aayog data. A factory worker rides a bicycle past the Super Thermal Power Plant in Chandrapur, India. FILE PHOTO: REUTERS Despite the challenges, the plant is considering adding 800MW of new capacity, according to the power ministry list seen by Reuters and half a dozen sources at Mahagenco, which operates the station. The document indicates the plant has not identified a water source for the expansion, though it has already sourced its coal. State-owned Mahagenco did not respond to Reuters' questions. The plant's thirst for water has previously led to tensions with residents of nearby Chandrapur city. Locals protested the station during a 2017 drought, prompting officials such as local lawmaker Sudhir Mungantiwar to order it to divert water to homes. Mr Mungantiwar, however, says he supports the expansion of the plant, which he hopes will lead to it retiring water-inefficient older units. But the station has already delayed a plan to decommission two polluting and water-guzzling power units with a capacity of 420MW by about seven years, citing instructions from the federal government, the company sources said. The Indian government asked power companies not to retire old thermal plants until the end of the decade due to a surge in demand following the pandemic, Reuters has reported. Chandrapur resident Anjali, who goes by one name, said she is resigned to visiting a tap installed by the station near one of its gates for drinking water. 'We're poor, we make do with whatever we can get,' she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
