ILLEGAL RAT HOLE MINING

NEWS: An explosion in an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya (East Jaintia Hills district) has killed 18 miners. The blast was likely caused by dynamite, trapping workers deep inside the mine.

Rat-hole mining

A primitive and hazardous mining method

• Narrow horizontal tunnels (3–4 feet high)
• Workers squat or crawl to extract coal
• Mostly unscientific, unsafe, and unregulated

Prevalent in Meghalaya

• Coal seams are thin and scattered
• Land ownership lies with individuals & clans
• Provides quick daily wages (₹2,000+), attracting poor workers

Legal status of coal mining in Meghalaya

• In April 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT):
• Banned rat-hole mining
• Banned transportation of illegally mined coal
• Ban was later upheld by the Supreme Court of India

Concerns

• Groundwater pollution
• Destruction of fragile hill ecosystems
• Exploitation of migrant labour (often from Assam)
• Poor workers forced to choose income Failure of regulatory enforcement
• Conflict between customary land rights and environmental law over safety