The Coal Conundrum

That a key partner of the MDA Government – the BJP is putting together what can be called a dossier documenting the modus operandi of the illegal coal trade is something that could needle the NPP which is leading the Government. Within the MDA there is a sense of having achieved an important goal with the Centre and Supreme Court giving a go-ahead signal to scientific coal mining in Meghalaya. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned rat hole mining in April 2014 on account of the risk posed to miners, many of whom die inside the mines due to sudden flooding. However, despite the NGT ban, mining carried on and as late as 2018 December there was a mining accident in Ksan, East Jaintia Hills where about 15 people had died inside the coal mine due to flooding. This became national and international news and the dead bodies were never retrieved barring the remnants of two bodies. And truth be told illegal coal mining has continued, although a few mine owners began to look at alternative businesses.
It is a fact that the coal seams in Meghalaya are shallow and open cast mining would not be feasible. Scientific mining in shallow seams would require special machinery which would work out to be more expensive than using humans to enter the coal shafts. Besides, there could also be a lot of waste. Over and above that the mines will have to be auctioned out to bidders who have the wherewithal to go in for scientific mining techniques. The question before the Government today is whether these formalities are in place. Mining has environmental consequences. Since the late 1980’s, the State Planning Board of Meghalaya had raised concerns about the abandoned mines and whether the Government would reclaim the mines which have become death traps. In fact the mine flooding occurs when a flooded abandoned mine is accidentally dug into while exploring for coal and the water comes flooding in.
The MDA Government feels that coal mining will rake in revenues that could be invested in other developmental purposes. This is fine as long as the environmental costs are figured in. The entire North East is a biodiversity hotspot and mining has huge environmental consequences. Coal mining in particular results in acid mine drainage which turns rivers and springs acidic and makes them unfit for human consumption. Unless an eco-restoration plan along the lines of the Supreme Court directive to Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Ltd, is in place, mining should not resume. There has to be robust state action and responsibility in this matter. The limestone mines in the Shella areas that are managed by private individuals are in a horrific state. The miners are not accountable for the environmental consequences. Can this sort of mining be allowed? It is unsustainable and has long term impacts which will affect generations to come. The Government has to give some serious thought to this issue. Coal mining may be a livelihood for some but it cannot be allowed to be a curse for many. Good governance means sparing a thought for the environment and the future.