Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Yash Gupte
Deaths and fatal accidents inside mines can be caused due to variety of factors, such as leaking of dangerous gases like hydrogen sulphide or explosive natural gases, particularly firedamp or methane, dust explosions, collapsing of mine etc. Image Source: IANS
In February 2022, around 13 workers died in an illegal coal mine in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. The sealed coal mine was operated illegally and a large number of locals were indulged in the mining work.
The Government of India has launched a smartphone app called "KhananPrahari" and a web app called Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS) for reporting illegal coal mining activities so that the relevant Law & Order enforcement body can monitor it and take appropriate action on it. The CMSMS has been developed to curb illegal mining and take transparent action as an e-Governance initiative of GOI on use of Space Technology. The objective of development and launching of this CMSMS application was to detect citizens' participation against illegal mining by receipt of citizen’s complaints through mobile app – KhananPrahari and to monitor and take action on any kind of illegal coal mining activity. It must be said that ensuring citizen participation in putting an end to the illegal coal mining in the country is a welcome step initiated by the central government. But is this step really enough to curb the illegal mining activities in India?
In the 48th meeting of the standing committee on safety in coal mines, Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi said that safety is the top priority in the coal sector and all coal companies must ensure that there is no scarcity of fund for ensuring safety measures. He also said that mine safety is always given the highest priority in the coal sector and asked strictly to follow. ‘Safety First, Production Must’ in all mines must be followed in order to ensure safe mining.
Pralhad Joshi also mentioned the steps taken by the coal companies to ensure safety in coal mines. Some of the measures implemented are adoption of risk assessment based safety management plan, job safety analysis based standard operating procedures, mine surveillance such as electronic total station, 3D terrestrial laser scanning, mine slope stability radar and etc. The minister also said that all the efforts would be futile if the workers are not safe and healthy. In spite of such measures and steps taken by the Ministry of Coal and coal companies, the coal mining industry remains one of the most hazardous industry in India.
Apart from long-term health issues, mines in India are also responsible for many accidents and loss of lives. According to an estimate by the Directorate General of Mines Safety, mine accidents cause numerous deaths every year. From June 2016 to June 2019, a total of 417 miners were killed in fatal mine accidents, with 238 of the victims being coal miners. It must be noted that the data on the mining accidents and the deaths of workers in mines differs from source to source
Data tabled in the Lok Sabha in January 2019 by the Labour and Employment Ministry revealed that 377 workers involved in the mining of coal, minerals and oil were killed in mining related accidents between 2015 and 2017. Of the 377, more than half, 210, were killed in coal mines. Pralhad Joshi, union minister of coal and mines informed the Rajya Sabha in February 2021 that 84 people died due to 254 serious accidents in coal mines between January 2019 and November 2020.
Maximum number of deaths related to mining accidents were reported in 2018. About 62 workers were killed due to mining related accidents in 2018. The year also reported 42 cases of mining accidents. The worst mining accident in 2018 was reported in Meghalaya in which two pople died in rat-hole coal mine as it collapsed due to flooding. Children are the most common victims of rat-hole mining as they are preferred due to their small body frame.
Deaths and fatal accidents inside mines can be caused due to variety of factors, such as leaking of dangerous gases like hydrogen sulphide or explosive natural gases, particularly firedamp or methane, dust explosions, collapsing of mine, mining-induced seismicity, flooding, or simple mechanical errors from misused or compromised mining equipment. According to a report, around 7,00,000 people are employed directly and indirectly in the mining sector, making it one of the largest industries in the country. According to several reports, the actual number of death of workers in mines is much higher as most of the deaths go unreported. Most of the unreported deaths occur in illegal mines or the rat-hole mines in the north-eastern states of India.
In February 2022, around 13 workers died in an illegal coal mine in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. The sealed coal mine was operated illegally and a large number of locals were indulged in the mining work. Ramanuj Prasad, former head of public relations at Bharat Coking Coal (BCC) had then said that no complaints are filed in such cases and the deaths go unreported.
The Chasnala coal mine disaster in Dhanbad was one of the worst mining disasters in India. The coal mine was flooded due to an explosion on December 27, 1975, killing 372 workers.
Despite, safety protocols and government policies and legislations on mining, the industry remains one of the most hazardous and unsafe industries in India. In order to put an end to the illegal mining in India, the Central government amended the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in 2015. Under the amended act, the state government are also contributing in keeping a check on illegal mines in the country. But the data and the instances of illegal mining and deaths of the workers suggest that such measures are not enough to address the problem and ensure safety of workers.
