The NGT ban on illegal rat-hole coal mining has helped some villages to regain its lost ground in the Meghalaya. Although NGT ban did not stop illegal mining, it helped villages like Moolamylliang reform in the East Jaintia Hills district.
What is Rat-hole mining?
- Rat-hole mining is a term used for a hazardous and arduous mining technique where miners crawl into winding underground tunnels that are just 4-5 feet in diameter to extract coal from the deep seams with a pickaxe.
- The National Green Tribunal has banned rat-hole mining in April 2014.
Impacts
- According to the ‘Down To Earth’ report, in 2011–12, rat-hole mines produced about 10 million tonnes of coal.
- It had a devastating impact on the environment. Meghalaya coal has high sulphur content, leading to discharge of sulphuric acid from these mines which have made the rivers acidic, affecting aquatic life and corroding machinery at hydroelectric projects and dams.
