Rat-Hole Mining

Rat-Hole Mining

Important for Prelims:

Silkyara Tunnel, Rat Hole Mining, NGT

Important for Mains:

Prevalence of Rat Hole Mining in North Eastern States, Reasons for Ban on Rat Hole Mining, Environmental and Safety Concerns from Rat Hole Mining

30 Nov. 2023

Why in News:

Recently, rescue workers successfully rescued 41 workers who were trapped in the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand for 17 days by using Rat Hole Mining technique banned by NGT.

About Rat-Hole mining:

  • Rat hole mining is a method of extracting coal from narrow, horizontal seams, prevalent in Meghalaya.
  • The term “rat hole” refers to the narrow pits dug into the ground, typically just large enough for one person to descend and extract coal.

Types of Rat-Hole mining:

  • It is broadly of two types: side-cutting and box-cutting.
  • Side-cutting: Narrow tunnels are dug on mountain slopes and workers go inside until a coal seam is found.
  • Box-cutting: It is also called a rectangular cutting, ranging from 10 to 100 square meters, and through this cutting a vertical pit 100 to 400 feet deep is dug.

Reasons for the Ban on Rat-Hole mining:

  • National Green Tribunal banned rat hole mining in 2014 for being unscientific and unsafe. This ban is especially applicable in Meghalaya since 2015, because rat hole mining process is widely practiced here for coal mining.
    • According to the NGT, excessive rat hole mining in Meghalaya has led to several cases where during the rainy season, mining areas were flooded resulting in the death of several people including employees/labourers.

About National Green Tribunal

  • NGT is a statutory and specialized body constituted under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, replacing the National Environment Appellate Authority.
  • India is the first developing country in the world after Australia and New Zealand to constitute a specialized statutory body for environmental protection.
  • The National Green Tribunal is headquartered in New Delhi, while it also has regional branches in Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai.

Rat-Hole Mining prevalent in North-Eastern states:

  • In general, this technology is used to extract coal from narrow, horizontal seams in the north-eastern states of India.
  • Rat-hole coal mining is currently practiced on a large scale in Meghalaya despite the NGT ban due to the following reasons:
    • Unholy nexus: Coal mining continues in Meghalaya due to an unholy nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and a section of coal traders.
    • Non-compliance: According to the Justice BP Kateki committee report, apart from notifying the Meghalaya Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2022, none of the directions issued by the Supreme Court and NGT have been complied with.
    • Vote Bank Politics: With the elections the issue of coal mining is back in the headlines and a Rajya Sabha member from the state is demanding that rat hole mining be legalised.

Environmental and Safety Concerns:

  • Rat hole mining poses significant safety and environmental hazards.
  • The mines are typically unregulated, lacking safety measures such as proper ventilation, structural support, or safety gear for the workers.
  • Additionally, the mining process can cause land degradation, deforestation, and water pollution.
  • This method of mining has faced severe criticism due to its hazardous working conditions, environmental damage, and numerous accidents leading to injuries and fatalities.
  • Despite attempts by authorities to regulate or ban such practices, they often persist due to economic factors and the absence of viable alternative livelihoods for the local population.

Conclusion:

Despite the ban, rat hole mining process has been witnessing a boom in the North-Eastern states to meet the socio-economic-political needs. In the future, NGT and other non-profit organizations will have to find strategic solutions to maintain a balance between the environment and the economic needs of humans.

Source: The Hindu

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Mains Exam Question

What is rat hole mining process? Despite adverse environmental impacts, coal mining is still indispensable for development. Discuss.