October 5, 2025 – A quiet revolution is transforming land once believed to be beyond saving in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha district. Areas around the Koradi, Khaparkheda, and Chandrapur Thermal Power Stations, which for years resembled a “lunar surface” covered in choking grey fly ash, are now lush green forests, thanks to an innovative ecological restoration method led by Dr. Lal Singh, Principal Scientist and Project Leader at the CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
Using a specialized Eco-Rejuvenation Technology (ERT), Dr. Singh team has proved that land polluted by the fine, powdery coal combustion residue fly ash can be brought back to life, creating clean air, restoring soil quality, and generating essential livelihoods for local villagers.
Healing the Soil First
For years, the fly ash from the power plants settled on crops, contaminated water and filled the air, drastically reducing farmer productivity and creating a health hazard for entire communities. The key to the breakthrough was a shift in approach: the idea was not just to plant trees, but to heal the soil first.
“There was a time when this land looked like the surface of the moon grey, dry, and covered in thick layers of fly ash. Nothing could grow here,” Dr. Singh shared. “Today everything has changed. The dusty ground is now covered with soft green grass. Long lines of bamboo plants, neem, karanj, and other native trees stretch as far as the eye can see.”
The ERT method involves treating the degraded land with natural materials and selected microbial and fungal inoculants to improve soil quality. This process then enables the planting of native, fast-growing trees that can survive the tough conditions.
Bamboo: The Natural Protector
The selection of bamboo proved to be the project’s silent hero. Fly ash contains a component called silica which settles on crops like cotton and soya, drastically cutting their productivity. Dr. Singh explained that bamboo naturally attracts and absorbs silica, creating a natural shield that pulls the pollutant out of the air and away from food crops.
The scientists also carefully selected a bamboo species that is cost-friendly, fast-growing, mitigates dust, and consumes less water a crucial factor in drought prone Maharashtra.
Dr. Singh work on land conversion began back in 2006, successfully reviving a uranium tailing pond in Jharkhand. The method was then applied to a 10 hectare fly ash-laden wasteland near Nagpur in 2013. In two years, the land was rejuvenated, and within four years it was ready for crop cultivation.
Restoring Livelihoods and Dignity
The green belt has not only solved the pollution crisis but has also become a source of income for local women. Pranali Sahara, a resident of Koradi Nahadula, a village just 10 \text{ km} from the dump site shared her gratitude.
“It’s been seven years since the people belonging to adjacent villages forgot about the fly ash problem… I am the only one who earns in my family, and I also got a job because of this project,” said the single mother, who now earns 5,000 a month tending to the bamboo plantation. Dr. Singh confirmed that the project has employed 20 women on three-year contracts, giving them a reliable source of income and the benefit of breathing clean air.
A National Blueprint for Healing Lands
The success of the CSIR-NEERI model in Maharashtra is now serving as a blueprint for ecological restoration across the country.
Dr. Singh’s team is now taking the ERT to Odisha, where phosphorus ore has left soil poisoned and ecosystems damaged. Following that, their attention will turn to Anpara, Uttar Pradesh, where fly ash poses a severe threat to a nearby water reservoir that local communities rely on.
This scaling up reflects a simple but powerful vision: to prove that no land is beyond saving. By combining simple science with persistence, Dr. Singh and his team are demonstrating that India’s forgotten, contaminated lands can be turned back into living, breathing spaces for both communities and nature.