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Bengaluru: Around 1.24 lakh Indians every year – that’s how many deaths the Modi government could be responsible for after it decided to exempt many coal-fired thermal power plants from installing technology to limit sulphur emissions in July last year.

A study published on May 4 shows that eliminating sulphur emissions from thermal power plants can decrease concentrations of fine particulate matter (a major air pollutant) across the country drastically – enough to prevent around 1.24 lakh deaths annually. People living in states such as Chhattisgarh and Odisha would benefit most from these reductions, as will people belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Scheduled Castes (SC) and Tribes (ST). Per the study, installing flue-gas desulphurisation systems or FGDs and other sulphur emission control measures in power plants would be more cost-effective than the healthcare costs incurred otherwise.

Energy and atmospheric scientists told The Wire that the Union environment ministry should immediately reverse its notification exempting around 80% of coal-fired thermal power plants across the country from installing FGDs.

Only India recorded a rise in sulphur emissions

The notification drew ire in July 2025 for several reasons. One was that the decision went against the government’s mandate in 2015 that all thermal power plants should implement FDGs in their units – a decision backed by science that shows that sulphur emission-limiting technologies are extremely important in reducing air pollution and linked health impacts.

Another was that a few days after the notification, the Ministry defended its decision. On July 14, it released a statement claiming that media reports had “grossly misinterpreted” its notification and that the rationale was based on “detailed scientific studies” and “extensive consultations with stakeholders and research institutions”.

Now, a detailed study of sulphur dioxide emission levels from thermal power plants across India shows that limiting emissions from such plants across the country would bring Indians significant benefits. For this, scientists at IIT Delhi’s Centre for Atmospheric Sciences and Air Quality Research Division in the Environment and Climate Change Canada (a department under the government of Canada) analysed a range of data: sulphur emissions in India derived from a global satellite-based emissions catalogue, premature deaths caused by exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as given by the Global Burden of Disease study, and economic and demographic data from India’s National Family Health Survey.

The study found that globally, sulphur dioxide emissions decreased continuously from 2005 to 2021 (from 44.11 to 19.37 thousand kilotons or Kt per yr), and witnessed a sharp drop after 2013. But in India, sulphur dioxide emissions increased during this time. It rose from 2.36 to 5.05 thousand Kt per year from 2005 to 2021. This then increased by around 30% in 2023. 

This is because of higher coal consumption and operating coal-fired power plants without sulphur dioxide emission controls such as FGDs, said Sunil Dahiya, Founder and Lead Analyst at Delhi-based think tank EnviroCatalysts. 

“China generates way more power than India, even from coal. But because they have FGDs, they are able to control their emissions,”........

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