Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Operations: What is rat hole mining technique? How does it work?

Silkyara tunnel rescue updates: Around 12 rat-hole mining experts were pressed into task on Monday for horizontally drilling for the remaining 10- to 12-meter stretch of debris in the collapsed section of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel on the Char Dham route in Uttarakhand. The alternative drilling process was adopted after the 25-tonne auger machine failed in the last leg of the operation on Friday.

The method of manual drilling made quick progress at the Silkyara tunnel within a day. On Tuesday, the rescue teams achieved a major breakthrough as the laying of pipes through the rubble at Silkyara tunnel was completed.

Rat-hole mining is a controversial method where in small groups of workers climb down narrow burrows to excavate small quantities of coal using hand-held tools.

How does it work

The practice was popular in Meghalaya once as coal deposits are not deep. Under the process, pits are dug and miners go down the narrow pits that are usually wide enough for just one person. The term “rat hole” means narrow burrows dug into the ground. The pits are not more than 4 feet wide.

Once the pits are dug, tunnels are made sideways. Workers then manually extract coal using primitive tools, such as pickaxes, shovels, and baskets. Coal is brought out of the holes and later transported via highways.

Environmental hazards and concerns

The extraction mining process poses significant safety and environmental hazards. These operations are typically unregulated and do not have safety measures, such as proper ventilation, structural support, or safety gear for the miners. The process also has environmental concerns as it can lead to land degradation, deforestation, and water pollution.

The method was criticised for numerous accidents at the mining spots leading to injuries and fatalities. There have been many attempts to regulate practices or ban it, but somehow the practice has survived due to its cost-effectiveness and the absence of any other job opportunities for the local population.

NGT's ban 

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned the practice for two years, 2014 and 2015. However, the practice continued in Meghalaya illegally, as per reports.

The NGT observed: “There is umpteen number of cases where by virtue of rat-hole mining, during the rainy season, water flooded into the mining areas resulting in the death of many… individuals including employees/workers.”

Following this in 2018, 15 miners got stuck inside a flooded mine. After the rescue operation, which lasted for about two months, bodies of only two workers were recovered.

In another mishap, five miners were trapped in a flooded mine in 2021. Three bodies were recovered from the mine after a month following which the rescue teams were forced to call off the operation.

Mining in Meghalaya

The NPP-led Meghalaya government was slapped with a fine of Rs 100 crore in 2019 for failing to stop rat-hole mining, even five years after the imposition of the ban.

In the same year, the Supreme Court set aside the NGT ban and allowed coal mining in the state through scientific mining methods. It said that coal mining should be done under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act (MMDR) and the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960.

Earlier this month, an interim report submitted by a special panel to the High Court of Meghalaya said unauthorised transportation of illegally mined coal is continuing in Meghalaya.

In 2022, the HC appointed retired Judge B P Katakey to head a committee to make recommendations on the measures to be taken by the Meghalaya government in compliance with the directives of the Supreme Court and NGT), which had banned rat-hole coal mining in April 2014.

The report filed before the court on November 22 said there has been no let-up in the transportation of the illegally mined coal. This belied the state government’s claim that illegal mining and transportation of coal in Meghalaya had been curbed.

Lastly, Justice Katakey ordered the implementation of an action plan for the closure of “thousands of coal mine pits” that are unprotected causing acid mine drainage and polluting the surrounding areas as well as the water in the rivers and the streams.

Rat-hole mining in Uttarakhand

The controversial practice was adopted in Uttarakhand after the auger machine failed to cut through the debris. A total of 12 experts were engaged in the rescue operations. Uttarakhand Secretary and Nodal Officer for Silkayara rescue operation Neeraj Khairwal had previously said that the men brought in were not rat-hole miners but experts in the technique.

 

Also read: Breakthrough in Uttarkashi workers’ rescue: Rescue team, ambulances enter tunnel