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Rat-Hole Mining
Context:
Recently several workers have been trapped in a flooded coal “rat-hole” mine in Dima Hasao district for over 12 hours.
More on News:
- Assam’s Chief Minister confirmed that the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) are involved in the rescue, and Army assistance has been requested.
- The Supreme Court raised questions about the possible involvement of officials in allowing illegal rat-hole mining to continue, which has led to worker fatalities.
- In Meghalaya, coal seams are thin, making rat-hole mining more economically viable than other methods like open-cast mining.
Key Statistics:
- Coal Reserves in Meghalaya: Estimated at 576.48 million tonnes of low-ash, high-sulphur coal from the Eocene age (33-56 million years ago).
- Fatalities: Multiple incidents over decades due to unsafe practices in mines.
What is Rat-Hole Mining?
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- Rat-hole mining is a dangerous and crude method of extracting coal, commonly found in Meghalaya, though it has spread to other regions like Assam.
- This method involves digging narrow, horizontal tunnels just wide enough for one person to crawl through. Workers typically descend into these pits using ropes or bamboo ladders and extract coal with primitive tools such as pickaxes and baskets.
- There are two main types of rat-hole mining:
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- Side-cutting: In this process, miners dig narrow tunnels along hill slopes until they locate coal seams, often less than two meters thick.
- Box-cutting: This method involves creating a rectangular opening at the surface, which is typically 10 to 100 square meters in size.
- From this opening, a vertical shaft is dug, ranging from 100 to 400 feet deep. After reaching the coal seam, workers dig horizontal tunnels to extract the coal, creating a network of narrow shafts resembling the structure of a rat’s burrow.
Environmental and Safety Concerns:
- Safety Hazards: Rat-hole mines are often unregulated, lacking essential safety measures such as ventilation, structural support, and protective gear. Workers face significant risks of asphyxiation, mine collapse, and flooding.
- Environmental Impact: The mining method causes land degradation, deforestation, water contamination with toxic chemicals (e.g., sulphates, heavy metals), and acidification of rivers (e.g., Lukha and Myntdu), affecting local ecosystems and causing loss of aquatic life.
- Fatalities: Numerous accidents and fatalities have been linked to rat-hole mining due to its dangerous conditions and the lack of safety protocols.
Legislative and Ethical Concerns:
- Meghalaya’s Land Ownership: Meghalaya operates under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which grants it autonomy over land and resources. This legal framework allows landowners to control the minerals beneath their property, making the enforcement of national mining laws difficult.
- National Green Tribunal Ban (2014): Banned in Meghalaya due to severe safety, environmental, and health concerns. Despite the NGT ban, illegal mining continues, with fatalities, such as the December 2018 incident where 17 miners drowned in Ksan due to flooding.
- Child Labour and Human Trafficking: Reports by Impulse and other organisations (2010-2011) estimated 70,000 children from Bangladesh and Nepal employed in mines.
- State Admission: In 2013, Meghalaya’s Department of Mining acknowledged the presence of 222 children in rat-hole mines.
Efforts Towards Legal and Sustainable Mining:
- Mineral Conservation and Development Rules (MCDR) 2017: The MCDR, framed under Section 18 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR) 1957, focuses on mineral conservation, systematic development of resources, and environmental protection.
- National Mineral Policy (NMP) 2019: Highlights the importance of sustainable mining, and the Ministry has introduced a Star Rating of Mines as part of the Sustainable Development Framework (SDF) to evaluate and improve sustainability in mining operations.
Scientific Mining Push (May 2023): Approval of mining leases for minimal environmental impact through sustainable practices. Concerns persist about the genuineness of ‘scientific’ mining.
