What Is Rat-Hole Mining? 15 Meghalaya Miners Trapped in Illegal Mine Waits for Help From Government
It took the fear of 15 possible deaths for the reality of illegal mining to sink in in the state.
Hope is fading for the 15 coal miners trapped for weeks deep inside the notoriously dangerous, ‘rat-hole’ mines in Meghalaya. The search operation has been put on a halt as the rescuers are in need of high-powered pumps to flush out water from the pit. Looking at the current situation, it all depends on the almighty for the miners to be rescued since the government is yet to swing to action. The rescue operation started on December 13 when local lawmaker Dr Azad Aman alerted the authorities that 15 miners working in a rural mine at the state’s Jaintia Hills region did not return. Miners Trapped in Meghalaya's Illegal 'Rat-Hole' Mine Feared Dead.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the unscientific rat-hole mining in Meghalaya on April 17, 2014. But illegal mining continued. It took the fear of 15 possible deaths for the reality of illegal mining to sink in in the state. Activists across the state are accusing the government of turning a blind eye towards the illicit and enormously dangerous working conditions.
Where the search operation of the young footballers being rescued from Thailand’s Tham Luang cave in June-July 2018 gained worldwide media attention, Meghalaya’s coal mine mishap was not covered by the mainstream media for the longest time, until the Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s tweeted about their plight, while taking a potshot at Prime Minister who inaugurated world’s longest Bogibeel rail-road bridge in Dibrugarh, Assam.
Rahul Gandhi's Tweet on 15 Miners Trapped at Meghalaya's Illegal Rat Hole Mining
What is Rat-Hole Mining?
Rat-hole mining is a term used in coal mining and is so named because of the sizes of the holes. Financed by businesses, the practice took off in the commercial field in the 1980s. The mines are typically ten by ten meters and dozens of meters deep. The mining is done by digging small holes into the ground, which appears similar to the tunnels dug by rats. The miners break the rock with axes and other hand-held equipment and carry out the material in baskets.
Where is the Mine?
The rat-hole mine where the 15 are trapped is about 130 km away from the capital city, Shillong at Ksan near the river Lytein in the Saipung area of East Jaintia Hills, one of eight mining districts of the state. East Jaintia Hills has a significant share of an estimated coal reserve over 500 million tonnes in the state.
What Prompted the NGT Ban?
Many accidents have been reported at the site over the years. In December 2013, five workers died, 15 drowned in a box mine in July 2012 and 40 men were killed in 2002 facing similar incidents. Media coverage of the practice led to NGT’s investigation of the mines, initiating a formal hearing in January 2014. The NGT ban was retained in 2015, when the All Dimasa Students’ Union in Assam cited a study by O.P. Singh of the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) that said mining in the coal belts in the Jaintia Hills were polluting rivers, streams flowing down to Assam’s Dima Hasao district that killed the aquatic life and turning the water unfit for drinking or irrigation.
Implementation of the ban has been uneven. A Shillong-based NGO filed a public interest litigation petition against illegal coal mining. It claimed Jaintia Hills’ rat hole mines employed about 70,000 child labourers. After investigating the matter, the government announced discovering 222 children working in the mines.
Agnes Kharshiing, the anti-mining activist, has been a strong voice throughout for her campaign against illegal mining. Many prominent individuals living outside the state own a coal mine in Meghalaya or are associated with the trade. These include politicians, bureaucrats, police officers and extremists. The Chief Minister of the state, Conrad Kongkal Sangma earlier admitted that illegal mining still takes place and he promised to take appropriate action against it. He even noted that the mining activities are spread across too vast to monitor strictly.
More than 70 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the rescue operation, but at present, it has been suspended due to the requirement of bigger equipment. The hope of the miners' safe return is dwindling with time.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 26, 2018 01:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).