Environmental Issues of Coal Mining
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF COAL MINING
INTRODUCTION
Coal is the most abundant fuel resource in India. It is the prime source of energy and perhaps the largest contributor to the industrial growth of the country. It is a crucial and enduring element in a modern, balanced energy portfolio, providing a bridge to the future as an important low cost and secure energy solution to sustainability challenges. Some important facts about coal industry in India are as follows:
•India is the third largest producer of coal in the world
•Coal is one of the primary sources of energy
•India has some of the largest reserves of coal in the world
•Indian coal has high ash content (15-45%)and low calorific value
•With the present rate of around 0.8Mt average daily coal extraction in the country, the reserves are likely to last over a 100 years
•The energy derived from coal in India is about twice that of energy derived from oil, as against the world, where energy derived from coal is about 30% lower than energy derived from oil
•Coal India Limited (CIL) is the largest company in the world in terms of coal production Coal continues to be the major source of primary commercial energy worldwide. Considering the limited reserve potentiality of petroleum and natural gas, eco-conservation restriction on hydel projects and geo-political perception of nuclear power, coal will continue to occupy the centre stage of India’s energy scenario. Share of coal in world’s energy consumption is 27%. The importance of coal in India can be gauged by the fact that it supports about 54.5% of the commercial energy in the country. The coal production in India has risen from 73 Mt in 1972 to about 382 Mt in 2004-05. Coal demand as projected for the year 2006-07 is 448 Mt, for 2011-12 is 620 Mt and is projected to 1061 Mt by the end of 2024-25.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
The mining operations like drilling, blasting, extraction, transportation, crushing and
INTRODUCTION
Coal is the most abundant fuel resource in India. It is the prime source of energy and perhaps the largest contributor to the industrial growth of the country. It is a crucial and enduring element in a modern, balanced energy portfolio, providing a bridge to the future as an important low cost and secure energy solution to sustainability challenges. Some important facts about coal industry in India are as follows:
•India is the third largest producer of coal in the world
•Coal is one of the primary sources of energy
•India has some of the largest reserves of coal in the world
•Indian coal has high ash content (15-45%)and low calorific value
•With the present rate of around 0.8Mt average daily coal extraction in the country, the reserves are likely to last over a 100 years
•The energy derived from coal in India is about twice that of energy derived from oil, as against the world, where energy derived from coal is about 30% lower than energy derived from oil
•Coal India Limited (CIL) is the largest company in the world in terms of coal production Coal continues to be the major source of primary commercial energy worldwide. Considering the limited reserve potentiality of petroleum and natural gas, eco-conservation restriction on hydel projects and geo-political perception of nuclear power, coal will continue to occupy the centre stage of India’s energy scenario. Share of coal in world’s energy consumption is 27%. The importance of coal in India can be gauged by the fact that it supports about 54.5% of the commercial energy in the country. The coal production in India has risen from 73 Mt in 1972 to about 382 Mt in 2004-05. Coal demand as projected for the year 2006-07 is 448 Mt, for 2011-12 is 620 Mt and is projected to 1061 Mt by the end of 2024-25.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
The mining operations like drilling, blasting, extraction, transportation, crushing and