Rat Hole Mining

Rat Hole Mining

Subject: Geography

Section: Economic Geography

Context: As per information received from Coal Controller Organization (CCO), no coal production has been reported during last 4 years from the State of Meghalaya.

Concept:

• Rat hole mining involves digging of very small tunnels, usually only 3-4 feet high, which workers (often children) enter and extract coal.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned it in 2014, on grounds of it being unscientific and unsafe for workers. The state (Meghalayan) government has challenged the NGT ban in the Supreme Court.
• According to available government data, Meghalaya has a total coal reserve of 640 million tonnes, most of which is mined unscientifically by individuals and communities.
• Since the coal seam is extremely thin in Meghalaya, no other method would be economically viable.

Impacts

• The water sources of many rivers, especially in Jaintia Hills district, have turned acidic.
• The water also has high concentration of sulphates, iron and toxic heavy metals, low dissolved oxygen (DO) and high BOD, showing its degraded quality.
• The roadside dumping of coal is a major source of air, water and soil pollution.
• Off road movement of trucks and other vehicles in the area for coal transportation also adds to the ecological and environmental damage of the area.
• The practice has been declared as unsafe for workers by the NGT.
• The mines branch into networks of horizontal channels, which are at constant risk of caving in or flooding.

2019, SC Judgement:

• The provisions of The Mines Act, 1952 are mandatorily to be followed before working a mine.
• Under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, environmental clearance is required for a project of coal for mining of any extent of area.
• While implementing statutory regime for carrying mining operations in the Hills Districts of the State of Meghalaya, the State of Meghalaya has to ensure compliance of not only MMDR Act, 1957 but Mines Act, 1952 as well as Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• In Hill Districts of State of Meghalaya for carrying coal mining operations in privately owned/community owned land, needs the previous approval of the Central Government through the State Government.

The State Government has been implementing an action plan prepared by the Committee constituted by National Green Tribunal, to close down the openings of mines which were created before the ban imposed by Hon’ble NGT in 2014.