In News:

In Dima Hasao district of Assam, at least nine workers aged between 26 and 57 were trapped in a coal “rat-hole” mine after it was flooded with water. Three miners trapped in a flooded coal mine were confirmed dead, while six remained stuck. Later an Indian Navy team, including deep-sea divers, arrived at the site, where the water level inside the pit is 200 feet deep.

Key Takeaways:

• Rat-hole mining is a method of extracting coal from narrow, horizontal seams, prevalent in Meghalaya. The term “rat hole” refers to the narrow pits dug into the ground, typically just large enough for one person to descend and extract coal.
• Once the pits are dug, miners descend using ropes or bamboo ladders to reach the coal seams. The coal is then manually extracted using primitive tools such as pickaxes, shovels, and baskets.
• Types of Rat-hole mining: 
  •  Side-cutting mining: In the side-cutting procedure, narrow tunnels are dug on the hill slopes and workers go inside until they find the coal seam. The coal seam in the hills of Meghalaya is very thin, less than 2 m in most cases.
  • Box-cutting mining: In the other type of rat-hole mining, called box-cutting, a rectangular opening is made, varying from 10 to 100 sqm, and through that a vertical pit is dug, 100 to 400 feet deep. Once the coal seam is found, rat-hole-sized tunnels are dug horizontally through which workers can extract the coal.
• Concerns associated with Rat-hole mining: Rat-hole mining poses significant environmental and safety hazards. This method of mining has faced severe criticism due to its hazardous working conditions, and numerous accidents leading to injuries and fatalities.
• The mines are typically unregulated, lacking safety measures such as proper ventilation, structural support, or safety gear for the workers. Additionally, the mining process can cause land degradation, deforestation, and water pollution. Despite attempts by authorities to regulate or ban such practices, they often persist due to economic factors and the absence of viable alternative livelihoods for the local population.
• Notably, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned Rat-hole mining in 2014, and retained the ban in 2015, on grounds of it being unscientific and unsafe for workers. The order was in connection with Meghalaya, where this remained a prevalent procedure for coal mining. The state government then appealed the order in the Supreme Court.

Role of Rat-Hole Mining in Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue

• The rat-hole mining practice, banned for being unsafe, helped in the rescue operation of 41 workers trapped in the collapsed Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand in 2023.
• Rat-hole miners were called in after the auger machine that was drilling through the debris broke. Rescuers then tried cutting through the blade stuck inside the rescue pipes and removing it piece by piece. As large metal pieces hindered the machine drilling, the rescuers went ahead with rat-hole mining.
• It was a test of grit and perseverance – for men on both sides of the 57 metres of debris – as the rescue operation suffered one setback after another. In the end, it was miners who dug through the last 12 metres and reached the trapped men.