PCB Inspects DVC Chandrapura Ash Pond Area Over Damodar River Tampering Claims

Chandrapura (Bokaro): A three-member team from the Pollution Control Board, Ranchi, on Thursday inspected the Damodar River stretch near DVC’s Chandrapura ash pond area following serious allegations of river course tampering and environmental risk.

The inspection was initiated after Damodar Bachao Andolan state convener Praveen Kumar Singh lodged a written complaint accusing the DVC Chandrapura management of illegally altering the river’s natural flow by excavating soil, extracting sand and cutting trees to build a stone-concrete wall along the riverbank.

The team, led by Pollution Control Board officer Kamala Kant Pathak, visited the site where Singh personally briefed officials about the alleged violations. In his complaint dated January 8, 2026, Singh claimed that DVC carried out the river modification work without approval from the Central Water Commission (CWC), which is mandatory under High Embankment Level (HEL) norms.

He further alleged that ash from the Chandrapura thermal power plant is being dumped into four large ash ponds located along the Damodar, and that the ash has not been cleared for the past six months. This, he warned, has increased pressure on the ponds, raising the risk of cracks or collapse that could severely pollute the river.

The Pollution Control Board team is expected to submit its findings after completing the investigation.