A Case Study on Gare Palma Coal Mines

Context: Ecological impact of coal mining and solutions thereof.

Abstract: The Mining is indispensable for the individual, for the society, and for the development of the nations. Unfortunately, mining procedures and operations are often associated with health hazards and environmental deterioration. Present study has been attempted from a socio-economic point of view and the dynamics of the environment of the coal-mining region.

The purview of ecological approach has been enlarged to digest relevant information and results of studies in biology, sociology and anthropology etc. under such a changed set-up, Geography has equally emphasized aspects of spatial variation and relationship and biological science are no more the sole custodian of ecological approach it has rather displayed a well-marked tendency to become in other fields of science. This study has come up with issues related to harmful effects of mining and how trace elements influence the local environment and may affect human health in the vicinity of the mining area.

Keywords: Coal Mining, Health hazard, Environment, Respiratory diseases.

Objectives of the Study:

1. Social impact of coal mining techniques in India.
2. Environmental impact of coal mining.
3. Human Health impact of coal mining.

Introduction

Primary sector of economy includes - Mining, Agriculture, wildlife and fisheries. In general we heard about the mining industry as a synonym of accidents, environmental degradation and health hazard.

Certainly, there are reasons based on incidents for such opinions expressed by the people. Mining disasters receive wide coverage from the media, whether it is an explosion or mining fire or inundations, the lives of people are touched by the personal and societal impacts of these events.

In many cases human error has been found to be the immediate cause, but it could have been avoided, if the management and planning had been more efficient in their approach.

In June 2005 it was reported in a national newspaper' that fourteen miners were trapped inside a mine at the central Saunda colliery in Hazaribagh in Jharkhand after water gushed in and roof collapsed. About three million gallons of water rushed into the mine of the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL). Any rescue operation could be carried out only when water was thoroughly pumped out, which took almost a week. The outcome was absolutely no chances of rescuing the trapped miners back, alive.

Methodology

The present study is an empirical research conducted in one major coalfield namely Gare Palma Coalfields in Chattisgarh. The methodology of the present study includes collection of research material over the field study and direct observation methods. The present research is based on both direct as well as indirect evidences.

Gare Palma Coal Mines in Rajgarh district, Chattisgarh

The National Commission of Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to defer public hearings, and a study by Indian Council of Medical Research that points to adverse impact of coal mining on health of tribals, despite these, the Chhattisgarh government and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC), facilitated the green clearance for a coal mine in Gare Palma area of Tamnar tehsil in Rajgarh district.

The government-sponsored studies clearly states that the air and water in the region is polluted, and pointing to increased prevalence of respiratory diseases amongst villagers, despite this the three coal blocks in Sector IV of Gare Palma and two from the adjacent Ghargoda tehsil, also in Rajgarh district, have been put up for auction.

The ICMR health report is the first of its kind in the country, and was undertaken following an NCST order of April 4, 2018, that called for conducting - a detailed enquiry into the complaints with respect to deprivation of rights and safeguards to the Scheduled Tribes. The NCST, which had heard from residents of 17 villages, had also asked the State government Chhattisgarh to defer the public hearing for Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MahaGenCo) to be held on April 17, 2018, till all studies were undertaken.

The NCST had intervened after villagers in the region approached the commission about the adverse social and ecological impact of mining in the region by MahaGenCo. While MahaGenCo holds the licence to mine coal in Gare Palma Sector II, a Gujarat state agency has obtained the licence for mining in Gare Palma Sector I.

With neglecting the NCST order, the public hearing was conducted on September 27, 2019. Despite the ICMR handing over the health report to MoEF&CC in February 2020, the Expert Appraisal Committee of the ministry noted in its September 28, 2020, meeting that the ICMR’s health assessment and project of health of people living in Tamnar block was yet to completed. MahaGenCo itself had submitted to the court that ICMR had handed over the health report to MoEF & CC in February 2020.

Environmental issues related to coal mining

Coal mining and its use in allied industries has a major contribution in increase in CO₂ levels in the atmosphere. It is being said that recent tsunami tragedy is a window to what earth can do with its devastating capacities and it is well known what can be the repercussions of an unchecked global warming. In the Indian context the fragility of the environment can be judged from the following facts:

a. Carbon dioxide emission from India are over 3% of global equivalent emissions of which about 55% are from the energy sector (road transport, burning of biomass fuels, coal mining and fugitive emissions from oil and gas).

b. The Industrial sector generates about 100 million tones of non - hazardous solid waste and 2 million tons of hazardous 'waste annually,

c. Nearly 23% of India's animal species have become extinct. d) Over 24000 hectare of India's forest cover is lost every year and 25% of the country's area is under threat of desertification." (TERI, 2001, 2002).

Thus Coal Mining has multiple adverse impacts on the environment, like disturbance of the land resource, adverse effect on river channels and aesthetical deterioration of the landscape. Mine fire occurring mainly in underground coal seams and the effect on the land, water and air due to refuse created from mining and coal preparation units.

Practically all coalfields are located in major river basins. Damodar river basin shares almost 65 % of the coal reserves located in the river basins. It is estimated that the washery and beneficiation activities amount to dumping of 10-15% of coal into rivers such as Damodar (Kadekodi, 1988)

There are two methods mainly adopted for opencast mining:

a, Area strip mining

It is done in relatively flat areas. By this method overburden is removed and piled alongside the depression until the coal seam is reached. Then progressing further next portion of overburden is removed and filled in the initial depression. This operation is repeated and unless corrective measures are taken land stripped by this method leaves valleys and ridges.

b, Contour mining

It is preferred and practiced in a rather undulating, hilly or mountainous region. In this type of mining at the coal outcrop in the hillside, the overburden is removed and coal is extracted by following the contour of the hillside and follows till the proportion of the overburden to coal seam thickness makes it uneconomic to mine. In this type overburden is disposed of by casting it down the hillside below the coal seam. Unless the discarded material stabilizes there are chances of erosion and landslides and also it may damage the flora and fauna downwards.

Land degradation

Open cast mining has a large footprint. A mine producing 40 million tons of coal in its lifetime (approximately 15 years) will leave a scar of about 25 sq km in area. Surface Mining has more potential impact on land than underground mining. More than 80.000 hectare of land in India are badly affected by various mining activities.

Rehabilitation of mine sites

Rehabilitation of mined areas is a key phase of open cut mining and involves the use of overburden to refill mined areas, reshaping these areas, replacing top soil, and finally sowing and nurturing vegetation. Inadequate vegetation on rehabilitated areas may result in dust generation, and also water pollution due to soil erosion and the discharge of suspended solids from the premises.

Selection of vegetation species will depend on intended land use. Biodiversity of species, if local native flora and fauna are to be a feature of the rehabilitated site, 'will require vegetation to be based on seeds collected from appropriate local species.

Air quality

Air quality status at the coalmine site and health of the mineworkers, Sources of emissions effecting air quality in the area are as follows:

a. Dust from opencast mining operations, for example movement of heavy earth moving machinery, drilling and blasting, etc.
b. Exhaust from trucks, dumpers, dozers and shovels.
c. During loading and unloading operations of the coal and dump materials.
d. Dust generation from waste dumps and coal dumps due to wind erosion.
e. Dust emission due to movement of trucks and vehicles in public roads.

Water Resources

The drainage pattern in the northern, eastern and south -eastern parts, but absence of drainage in the western part. Results of morphometric analysis indicate low topographic relief and high infiltration. For the environmental impact study, coal dumps, overburden dumps, fire zones, subsidence, forest, wasteland, agricultural land, water bodies and built-up areas have been selected as land degradational features.

These features have been identified and delineated from individual imagery and compared with the land use/cover map. The static ground reservoir in the whole south Karanpura Coal field is 97.60 million cubic meters. The impact of mining on hydro geo-logical regime has been assessed to be within 200 meters of the mining activities.

Land resource

River Damodar is the main source of water for cultivation and sustaining underground water table. Pumped out water with suspended coal dust from the coalmines may cause phenolic (a toxic organic chemical) contamination to both surface and underground water.

Due to coal mining the geomorphological, hydrological and land use pattern has changed. Vast areas have turned into hillocks of overburden all around the abandoned quarries due to unplanned dumping of OB materials. These practices choke the drainage flow and are responsible for partial blockade of nail a and rivulets at many places.

Health and Safety concerns

Globally, mining remains a difficult and hazardous job and there have been concerns related to negative health impacts related to the mineworker. Mining remains one of the most difficult, dirty and hazardous occupations, causing more fatalities than other occupations.

Mining has been a primarily male dominated profession, needing to employ principally able-bodied individuals to undertake arduous risky work. Though women are employed by CCL but they are either engaged in official work or at the lower level they are engaged in petty cleaning/sweeping work.

There are many potential hazards which can be perceived and their realization will take a longer course, but they definitely have an adverse affect on human health which may take from years to decades to realize.

One such example is coal dust affecting human lungs and expressing much later in form of pneumoconiosis or other respiratory ailments. Similarly noise and vibration beyond acceptable limits can be annoying and it may do some harm to health.

An accident can be considered as an abrupt realization of a potential hazard. If the hazard is of a larger intensity then it may be said to have a disaster potential.

Conclusion

Several reports recommended to strength in health infrastructure in the region along with looking at alcohol de-addiction, it also entailed provision for safe drinking water, that is water free from Fluoride, arsenic of any geogenic contamination, as a recommendation especially in two villages Mudagaon and Saraitola. Bringing up rise of fungal infection and its correlation with Arsenic concentration in water, a report mentioned that “the presence of alarmingly high levels of Arsenic in drinking water along with acidic pH of water in 14 villages of Tamnar block and the optimal pH for arsenic absorption is 5.0 were associated with the development of fungal infection among villagers.

In many cases natural resources such as minerals are mined to the last limit: Mining is one of the chief economic activities in the Chotanagpur region. Though successive governments have been largely benefited from the abundant mineral resources of this region but little attention are paid to environmental considerations whose negligence often leads to degradation of the environment and sometimes directly and drastically affecting the surroundings.

The same standards cannot, however, be applied in countries still blighted by poverty and disease, such impositions by well-meaning elements within rich countries are resulting in negative side effects, not only for the mining industry. The industry has to adopt the highest possible health, safety, and environmental standards that are consistent with its long-run viability, wherever it operates.

Connecting the Article

Question for Prelims : Which of the following diseases may occur by coal mining activities ?

1. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
2. Asthma
3. Lung cancer
4. Respiratory infection

Select the correct answer using code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Question for Mains : Despite a good awareness of the health hazards caused by coal mining, coal mines were auctioned. Is it beneficial for the country as a whole? What factors do you consider responsible for this?