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Areas of Prevalence of Rat-Hole Mining
Use of this technique of coal mining is, generally, prevalent in the Northeastern
states, especially Meghalaya.
Despite several attempts by authorities to regulate or ban such practices, they
have been prevalent in these regions. Some of the major reasons for the
prevalence of this technique are as follows:
• These areas are majorly hilly terrains where coal seams are very thin.
This makes open coal mining or digging big holes very difficult and
economically non-profitable. As a result, miners prefer rat-hole mining.
o Such cases are not witnessed in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh
because the coal seams are thick in these areas.
• The backwardness of these areas means that there is under-education
and a lack of employment opportunities. Thus, local people see rat-hole
mines as an opportunity to earn a livelihood.
• Since it involves less investment and good returns, investors prefer to
go for this type of mining.
Concerns Caused by Rat-Hole Mining
Environmental Issues
• Deforestation: As trees are often cut down to make rat holes, this type
of mining results in large-scale deforestation. This, in turn, results in the
destruction of habitats and threats to biodiversity.
• Water Pollution: Runoff from rat-hole mines contaminates nearby
water sources with harmful chemicals and pollutants. This hampers
both surface and groundwater quality along with endangering aquatic
ecosystems.
• Acidification: These mines cause acidic runoff, known as Acid Mine
Drainage (AMD). This degrades water quality in affected water bodies,
along with reducing biodiversity.
• Land Degradation: Rat-hole mining results in erosion of topsoil. This
leaves a large tract of land scarred and barren.
• Air Pollution: Rat-hole mines, usually, lack proper ventilation. Also, by
making coal available, it promotes coal burning. All these exacerbate the
problem of air pollution.
Social and Human Rights Issues
• Unsafe Working Conditions: This technique, being a primitive one,
does not involve making professional tunnels or ensuring safety
measures. These mines become even more dangerous during the rainy
season when water floods into the mining areas. All these lead to
mishaps, including death of many workers.
o The accidents in rat-hole mines in Meghalaya, leading to
injuries and fatalities, are quite often in the news.
• Compromising Labor Rights: This type of mining involves hazardous
working conditions, thus compromising labor rights.
• Child Labor: Mainly children are employed in this type of mining
because their thin and small body allows ease of accessing depths. Thus,
this type of mining promotes child labor.
• Community Displacement: Unregulated rat-hole mining leads to the
displacement of local communities. This, in turn, creates several socioeconomic issues such as loss of livelihoods.
NGT’s Ban on Rat-Hole Mining
Because of myriad concerns caused by it, the National Green Tribunal (NGT)
banned this practice in Meghalaya in 2014. However, the state government, then,
appealed the order in the Supreme Court and the practice remains prevalent in
the state.
A panel appointed by the Meghalaya High Court in 2022 found that the rat-hole
mining continues unabated in Meghalaya.
Suggested Measures
• Strengthening and enforcing regulatory measures to curb this practice.
• Promoting modern mining techniques to encourage responsible and
safe mining practices.
• Empowering the local community, including the creation of livelihood
opportunities, to make people turn away from such mining.
• Investing in Renewable Energy to reduce dependency on coal for
energy can help curb such types of coal-mining activities.
Rat-Hole mining poses severe threats to both the environment and human lives.
A multi-faceted approach, as suggested above, should be adopted to curb this
practice