SHILLONG: The Ksan mine tragedy and the illegal rat hole mining that carried on clandestinely with the collusion of mine owners and those in the government, has been widely covered by national and international media. The reports have prised open the entire coal cartel, their connection to those in the government and also the modus operandi of the illegal coal trade.
However, there has been scant coverage of the efforts put in by rescue agencies which have been camping at the mine tragedy site since December 14, 2018. Speaking to this correspondent on condition of anonymity, a person from the rescue team said the operation was a huge challenge because of the distance involved, the difficult terrain and the absence of a mine map. Add to that the bitter cold of Meghalaya’s winter in December-January with temperatures dipping below 8°C at times.
The equipment and men were airlifted by Indian Air Force only up to Guwahati. For reasons that are not clear the Air Force which could have airlifted the equipment and men up to Shillong or even Jaintia Hills were not instructed to do so.
The hydrologist from the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, Dr Sudhir Kumar has left the mine site after having given a full report of what ought to be done in order to dewater the Ksan mine.
The Indian Navy divers have put in their best efforts but even they are trained to rescue victims in the open sea. Diving inside a 350 ft shaft with man-sized holes branching out horizontally in all directions is a challenge even for these diving professionals.
Despite these challenges they have been at it and managed to retrieve the body of one miner and have sighted another one. They are patiently waiting for the turbidity of the water to settle down before trying to retrieve the other body sighted early morning on Saturday.
Time is of the essence in a rescue operation. Co-ordination by experts in managing mining disasters who also have a checklist of which institutions have the wherewithal to provide equipment and the requisite man-power was much needed. But things came together only a fortnight after the incident.
Will the Government of Meghalaya now develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) after this major mine disaster? Or have any lessons been learnt at all? Will this be the last mine disaster in Meghalaya? These are hard questions which the government needs to mull on.
