Mining in Meghalaya

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A small marble quarry in Mawkohngoh , Meghalaya (2008)

For mining in Meghalaya in northeastern India counts above all the removal of coal , limestone , kaolin , sillimanite and uranium . In the Indian state of Meghalaya (22,300 km² with 3 million inhabitants in 2011), most of the country is under the administration of the resident tribes ( Scheduled Tribes ), but the mining of deposits in the form of many small quarries and excavations takes place on private land , referred to as " rat-hole mining" . These wild forms of mining are considered to be the main cause of deforestation and soil degradation in the small state, which is a biodiversity hotspot due to its special biodiversity . In 2014, these unregulated and unsecured forms of mining were officially banned and have since subsided, but the many small caves and spoil heaps remain scattered in the hilly and mountainous landscape of the respective areas . The state Wildlife Institute of India declared in 2017 that it will take a long time for nature to recover from these " scars ".

The deposits of natural resources in Meghalaya are estimated at:

00.600 million tons of hard coal: 350 MT in the Garo Mountains in the west, 170 MT in the Khasi Mountains and 75 MT in the Jaintia Mountains in the east
15,000 million tons of limestone: from 2010 the Meghalayas supreme court issued several bans on limestone extraction, 2015 mining was allowed again subject to conditions
000.88 million tons of kaolin: white clay and brown fire clay
000. 55 million tons of sillimanite: 95% of India's total reserves
0000.9 million tons of uranium: in the southwestern Khasi Mountains; As a nuclear power , mining is in the hands of the Indian central government (compare uranium mining )

Coal mining

Coal has been mined in Meghalaya since the middle of the 18th century, almost exclusively as a small business . In the current time, the effects of mining, storage and spoil led to widespread fish deaths in several rivers. In 2014 the state's National Green Tribunal (NGT: Indian Environmental Court) issued a general ban on rat-hole mining in Meghalaya. Nevertheless, coal is still being mined in the "rat holes", it has long been an important economic factor in Meghalaya and makes an important contribution to the energy supply. Much is also exported to the south of Bangladesh , often through illegal channels and combined with bribery ; Many of the workers (mostly children and young people) also come from there.

A study from 2017 summarizes the situation of coal mining in "rat holes": There are around 5,000 mines in Meghalaya, 99% of the workers are migrants from neighboring Bangladesh, from Nepal (150,000 in 2005) and from the three Indian states of Bihar , Assam and Jharkhand . Between 1975 and 2016, the area of ​​mining increased threefold, while the total forest area of ​​Meghalaya decreased by 12.5% ​​( deforestation with subsequent soil erosion and degradation ). The study also cites the estimate by the NGO children's rights organization Impulse from Meghalaya that 70,000 children between the ages of 7 and 17 are employed as temporary workers in the private mines, with no security for their lives. Immediate and comprehensive legal regulation and control of private quarries are required.

Between 2007 and 2014 up to 15,000 people are said to have died in mining accidents in Meghalaya, almost all of them foreigners. The wide pits are simply dug into the ground without technical aids, then the coal is mined in completely unprotected small side caves and carried out by hand. There are no statutory regulations, including no social security for the workforce. The mine owner then takes the yield to a middleman on the next main road for immediate cash. The main mining area on the southern border is the rainiest area in the world, so dealing with the water masses and rapidly rising groundwater levels is correspondingly difficult (see also Meghalaya's climate ). In December 2018 there was a mine disaster near the capital Shillong in which 15 children were trapped in a mine by pressing groundwater.

In the election for the Indian People's Assembly Lok Sabha in February 2018, up to 30% of the candidates are said to have been (co-) owners of illegal coal mines. Because of the economic and energy-political importance of coal mining, the Meghalayas government , which was formed in March , applied to the Supreme Court in November 2018 to lift the ban issued by the Environmental Court. Several ministers and also the leaders of the opposition parties own or share coal mines themselves. The private mine owners mostly hire guest workers from other countries because the local Scheduled Tribes (self-governing tribal populations) reject both the working conditions and the harmful effects of mining on their land and, above all, their vital forests (compare the farming economy of the Khasi ). The partial ban on limestone mining was achieved through their lawsuits.

literature

  • Maitreyee Roy: The Advantages, Disadvantages and Challenges of Banning Rat Hole Mining in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya. In: International Journal of Current Research. Volume 9, No. 6, June 2017, pp. 52454–52456 (English; Department of Environmental Management, William Carey University, Nongmensong, Shillong; full text: PDF: 198 kB, 3 pages on journalcra.com).
  • Impulse NGO Network, Aide et Action: An Exploratory Study of Children Engaged in Rat Hole Mining in the Coal Mines of Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya, India. Shillong December 2010 (English; non-governmental organizations; full text: PDF: 1.64 MB, 34 pages on aea-southasia.org).
  • Wildlife Institute of India: Table 2.2: Minerals of Meghalaya and Fig 2.3: Mineral Map of Meghalaya and 4.2.2: Mining. In: The Meghalaya State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2016–2026; Draft). Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India 2017 (English, without page numbers; here PDF pages 27–29 and 107–112; full text: PDF: 15.4 MB, 350 pages on megbiodiversity.nic.in).

Individual evidence

  • ( wii ) Wildlife Institute of India: The Meghalaya State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2016–2026; Draft). Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India 2017 (English, without page numbers; full text: PDF: 15.4 MB, 350 pages on megbiodiversity.nic.in).
  1. ↑ a b PDF pages 28/29: Table 2.2: Minerals of Meghalaya and overview Fig 2.3: Mineral Map of Meghalaya (without page numbers).
  2. ↑ PDF pages 107/108: 4.2.2: Mining (without page numbers).
  3. ↑ Sillimanite deposit (2009): PDF page 28/29: Table Table 2.2: Minerals of Meghalaya and overview Fig 2.3: Mineral Map of Meghalaya (without page numbers); Quote: "The Sonapahar sillimanite area of ​​West Khasi Hills District is the only area in the state [Meghalaya] where lensoid bodies of massive sillimanite mineral are found. Total reserve of 55 MTs (GSI, 2009), which is about 95% of India's total reserve. "
  4. ↑ PDF pages 108/109: Coal Mining (without page numbers).
  • Other documents
  1. ↑ a b c Hans-Christian Baumann: The threatening rat holes Meghalayas. In: NZZ.ch. April 4, 2016, accessed January 1, 2019.
  2. ↑ a b Maitreyee Roy: The Advantages, Disadvantages and Challenges of Banning Rat Hole Mining in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya. In: International Journal of Current Research. Volume 9, No. 6, June 2017, pp. 52454–52456, here p. 52455 (English; Department of Environmental Management, William Carey University, Nongmensong, Shillong; full text: PDF: 198 kB, 3 pages on journalcra.com) ;
    Quote: “There are approximately 5000 coal mines in the district. 99% of the workers are migrants from Bangladesh, Nepal, Bihar, Assam and Jharkhand. The number of Nepali workers estimated as 150,000 [;] Madhavan, 2005. According to an estimate from an NGO 70,000 children in the age between 7 to 17 are working in these private mines as casual labor under private contractors without any security to their lives. (Impulse: An exploratory study of children engaged in Rat Hole Mining in the coal mines of Jaintia Hills, 2012) Between 1975 and 2016, there has been decrease in forest area by 12.5%, while area under mining has increased three fold. "
  3. ↑ Impulse NGO Network: Unitingon's Campaign Against Child Labor in Rat Hole Mining of Meghalaya. Shillong 2018, accessed January 1, 2019.
  4. ↑ Photo gallery: Unicef ​​selection - The best photos of the year (6/11): India: The dark side of poverty. In: Spiegel Online. December 18, 2012, accessed January 1, 2019.
  5. ↑ Sabina Matthay: Mine accident in India: 15 children trapped in mine. In: Tagesschau.de. January 1, 2019, accessed January 1, 2019.
  6. ^ Message: Everybody loves rat-hole mining in Meghalaya. In: India Today. December 28, 2018, accessed January 1, 2019.