Predicting the non-carcinogenic health hazards associated with emissions from developing coal-fired power plants in Payra, Bangladesh

Owing to the depletion of natural gas reserves and economic constraints of imported oil, Bangladesh plans on shifting to an electricity mix dominated by coal. Among a number of planned coal-fired power plants, five power plants each with 1320-MW generation capacity are expected to be installed by 2030 in areas within 5-km radius of Payra, situated in Patuakhali district, by 2030. This study involved simulation of pollutant concentration and evaluation of health risks due to emission from these power plants. Four pollutants, SO 2 , NOx, PM 2.5 , and PM 10 , were assessed for health risks under two scenarios: (a) scenario I, operation of Payra phase I and phase II power plants (expected by 2022); and (b) scenario II, cumulative operation of all 5 power plants. An air dispersion model has been used to investigate the pollutant dispersion and ground-level concentration at receptor grids over a 30 × 30-km model domain for a 1-year period. Hazard quotients (HQ) of the selected pollutants were estimated at 10 sensitive receptors, which revealed that long-term HQ were well below the safe limits; however, short-term NOx exposure might pose serious threat to the residents. To depict the cumulative hazardous footprint of the pollutants, a hazard impact map has been created to delineate the potential high-risk areas.