Rat Hole Mining GS Paper - 1 Mineral & Energy Resources Env | Deepak UPSC Notes

Rat Hole Mining

GS Paper - 1

Mineral & Energy Resources

Environmental Pollution & Degradation

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. 

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. Removal of rocks from the hilly terrain and putting up pillars inside the mine to prevent collapse would be costlier. In Meghalaya this is the locally developed technique and the most commonly used one.

Impact of Rat Hole Mining 

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 theecological and environmental damage of the area.

The practice has been declared as unsafe for workers by the NGT.