World Bank Investment in Power Project in Singrauli, India

The document details a 1997 World Bank investment of $400 million to expand power plants in Singrauli, India, which led to significant displacement and pollution. Despite requests for inspection and an acknowledgment of deficiencies in resettlement and rehabilitation, the project proceeded, resulting in long-term respiratory illnesses and water pollution. By March 2014, the area was officially declared a Critically Polluted Area by the Indian government.

• In 1997, the World Bank committed $400 million to the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to expand two existing power plants in Singrauli by 1000 MW each, but failed to follow its own policies on environmental assessment, indigenous peoples, and involuntary resettlement.
• The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors rejected a recommendation for a full investigation into policy violations, opting instead for a limited investigation conducted from Washington, DC, which claimants argued lacked transparency and understanding of local conditions.
• The project resulted in severe long-term environmental and health impacts for Singrauli residents, including respiratory illnesses and water pollution, leading the Indian Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to designate the region as a Critically Polluted Area (CPA) in March 2014.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2015). World Bank Investment in Power Project in Singrauli, India. https://www.ciel.org/project-update/world-bank-investment-in-power-project-in-singrauli-india/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. World Bank Investment in Power Project in Singrauli, India. 2015. https://www.ciel.org/project-update/world-bank-investment-in-power-project-in-singrauli-india/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=World Bank Investment in Power Project in Singrauli, India |date=26 February 2015 |url=https://www.ciel.org/project-update/world-bank-investment-in-power-project-in-singrauli-india/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2015world, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{World Bank Investment in Power Project in Singrauli, India}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ciel.org/project-update/world-bank-investment-in-power-project-in-singrauli-india/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }