Locals flag health risks ahead of Ennore plant expansion meeting

FORTY-three-year-old S Kumaresan, who belongs to the fishing community in Ennore, lost one of his three sons five years ago to bone cancer. "My eldest son, aged 23, shows signs of intellectual disability," he says.

- ARCHITA RAGHU

Kumaresan, like many Ennore residents, attributes these health issues to mass industrialisation in the area, which has 34 large petrochemical facilities that fall under red-category industries under pollution index score. Ahead of the public hearing scheduled in Ernavur on Friday for the proposed coal-fired Ennore Thermal Power Station (ETPS), residents urged the government to take note of the rising air pollution and its effect on children. They highlighted the need for concrete studies to assess the health impact.