Coughing Up Coal - Pollution from the Coal Fired Power Plants in India

India is rivaling China -- in its plans to consume coal. India is aggressively expanding construction of coal fired power plants to meet growing energy needs. Some 455 new plants now are in the pipeline. With air pollution already a leading health concern, medical experts say this expansion can have dire health consequences. Emissions from coal power plants were linked to 80,000-150,000 premature deaths in India between 2011 and 2012 alone and to a wide range of diseases from cancers, to respiratory and cardiovascular disorders.



Singrauli -- an industrial hub in north central India -- embodies the tragic human toll that a largely unregulated coal industry can extract. Sarah Stirk of the Ecologist Film Unit files this original investigative report for Earth Focus. Read her accompanying blog post, "Coughing up Coal: Reporting from the Frontline of India's Health Crisis"