Rat-hole mining is prone to collapsing because they lack engineered roofs and side-wall protections.
What is Rat-hole mining?
- Rat Hole’ mining is a primitive and unscientific form of mining.
- In this process, Land is first cleared by cutting and removing the ground vegetation and then digging pits into the ground to reach the coal seam.
- Coal seams are reached by excavating the hill slopes and then coal is extracted through a horizontal tunnel,where workers enter and extract coal.
- Methods of extraction: Side-cutting, Box-cutting
Reasons for Illegal Mining Continuation
- Natural Factors:E.g.,Coal seams in Meghalaya are very thin which makes rat-hole mining more economically viable than opencast mining.
- Lack of Alternatives:Without viable economic substitutes in sectors like horticulture, construction, manufacturing, the population reverts to mining for survival.
- Complex Ownership Structures: The specific ecosystem in Meghalaya involves small, privately or community-owned landholdings with fragmented ownership.
Measures taken to stop illegal rat hole mining
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